


Cheating Fate

by RulerOfCats



Series: The Fates [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Comedy, Drama, F/M, Family, Fighting, Friendship, Humor, Ninja, Romance, Shinobi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 55,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23860336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RulerOfCats/pseuds/RulerOfCats
Summary: Safu was born into a body that was weak and shackled to the earth. Day by day, she watched her organs fail, one at a time as her fingers lost their will to move. She watched her parent's eyes grow dimmer and dimmer until her own sight grew dim as well until all she saw was the black nothing that doomed to entrap her forever. She barely remembered what it felt like to walk or run and she could never imagine what it would be like to fly. Upon her last moments, she made a wish upon a star.So when she was reborn as the lively and rambunctious Shion, she immersed herself in the warm sunlight glow and blanketed herself in the grass. Her wish came true and she was once more able to run and laugh and play, but all wishes come with a couple consequences. Shion is an orphan with a curse, doomed with bad luck. How long can she last in a world where bad luck could mean certain death?Naruto/OCSame Universe as Chasing Smoke (Kakashi), House of Cards (Itachi), Capturing Heartbeats (Tobirama & Madara), Call to Arms (Uchiha Sasuke), Hourglass (Gaara)
Relationships: Uzumaki Naruto/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Fates [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719502
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Pixie Dust

Peter Pan

**Part I**

**Pixie Dust**

_"Dreams do come_ **_true_ ** _. If only we wish hard enough. You can have anything **in** _ **_life_ ** _if_

_**you will sacrifice** _ **_everything_ ** _else for it._

― Peter Pan

Prologue

**THERE WERE MANY DAYS WHEN ALL SHE COULD THINK OF WAS DEATH** for it was the end of all sickness. She wished she could get away from the disease that plagued her body and grew from her heart and throughout her mind. She wished she could move her arms again like she used to or draw as she once loved to do. There were times she wished she could fly away to a scattered dream in the sky, waiting for the breeze to overtake her and she could spread out her arms towards the embrace.

Safu had so much to be thankful for: loving parents and the finances to pay for her treatment. 

But more than anything, as her body fell apart and she lost the ability to move, she wished she lost the ability to see. She wished she never knew that her mother had developed wrinkles and her father had deep and heavy bags underneath his eyes. She wished she could no longer see the way they stared at her, this dead girl in the sheets, or the way they scampered through the room like zombies in a daze.

These were things she wished she never saw and she knew in the very depths of her heart that she was the reason. She wished she never existed. Perhaps if she never lived, her parents would be happy again.

She wished she never developed her illness that took away her hair and her smile.

She wished this life, surrounded by doctors and nurses and death....was all a dream.

More than anything, when she died in her sleep, she wished she could forget all of it.

She wished she could be happy.


	2. Neverland

NEVERLAND

Chapter One

**SHION GOT INTO HER FIRST FIGHT AT THE ORPHANAGE ON HER SECOND DAY,** however, according to her, the girl needed that punch to the face to learn some manners. Living with fellow orphans was, in Shion's mind, very similar to making it in prison. You find the biggest girl in the room, walk up to her, and punch her straight in the face. After that, nobody would dare steal your pudding or put dead rats in your blankets. 

What she did not count on was making herself a target for everybody who thought they were strong enough to fight her. This was probably why she trained so hard to get better. This was also because getting egg out of her hair took two hours and training to dodge them was all she could do to retaliate at the time. 

"Suck my dick, assbutt," Shion snapped, kicking the boy in his ankle and watching as he fell to the ground.

"You don't have....I'm gonna kill you, Shion!" Assbutt hissed, picking himself up and running off before the girl could do anymore damage.

"If you're gonna shove me, you better be ready for retaliation, you moron!" Shion screamed, causing a few kids in the orphanage to turn their heads towards her before rolling their eyes at the fuss such a small kid was making.

Shion had no last name and she was tiny and scrawny, but she made up for it by being a pure ball of rage. During the attack of the Leaf village a few years ago, she discovered the perks of being an orphan as her mother decided that with the loss of her father, she couldn't take care of her daughter.

Of course Shion, at the age of four, could still remember staring at her mother through red eyes that were sore from crying as she begged her mother not to go. It had been nearly six years since then, and Shion hadn't cried since.

"Beating up the bullies again," the lazy voice of Shikamaru darted into her ears and she swiftly turned around to see him lounging in the grass, a small distance away from where she had knocked the assholes to the ground.

"They think just because I'm tiny that they can walk all over me," Shion snapped, her voice lowering into a hiss. "I'll show them how tiny I am when I bring them to their knees so I can kick them in their balls."

"How do you have so much energy so early in the morning?" Shikamaru muttered and Shion scoffed.

"It 12 in the afternoon you lazy idiot," she muttered, plopping her butt next to him so she could get a view of the sky.

In response, Shikamaru only yawned. "Stop talking already."

"Shut up, you love my voice," she snapped, but it didn't come out even half as threatening as she wanted considering she let out a monster yawn right before her last word.

"If you're going to be unpleasant, then you can leave," he muttered. "I get enough from my mother. I don't need it from you too."

"I am five seconds from beating you an inch from death," she muttered out with a harsh frown.

"How are you older than me...I'll never know," Shikamaru muttered and Shion gave him a bitter scowl as she sat up from her spot and turning towards him in one motion. Of course, like usual, all her fast motions made him nauseous, but he didn't show it. The seven-year-old boy merely turned over so his back was facing her.

"Are you trying to ignore me Shikamaru? Boy, I know how to break your jaw," she threatened easily, and he groaned.

"Go away Shion. I am not in the mood."

"You're never in the mood when you come to visit me. I want to play, not sit around and stare at clouds all day. You're like an old man."

"I don't want to play."

"You said that last week."

"I meant it then...and I mean it now."

"Shikamaru, if you don't get up on count of three and play hide and seek, I'm going to scream."

"You are so annoying," he muttered. "I'll seek. You go hide."

"You mean it?" Shion narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she remembered the last time she hid for two hours just to give up and go look for the lazy idiot, only to find that he was asleep on a hilltop. "You really mean it this time?"

"Sure."

Shion pouted but nodded. "Okay, you have five minutes and then you have to come find me."

"Whatever."

"Okay. Starting now," she dashed off as if her life depended on it, and ran towards her special hiding spot near the back edge of the orphanage. Usually kids would play there, but since Naruto started going and nesting, they had stopped.

Like clockwork, Naruto sat alone on the swing set that she named 'sad boy swing'.

She ignored him and ran to the tree where the swing rested on a thick branch. She noticed he glanced her way, which she promptly ignored as she began to climb the tree. She slightly scraped her knees against the bark as she reached the top.

She finally turned her head to see Naruto staring at her and she frowned. "Look away. You're gonna give away my hiding spot, doofus."

"You're playing a game?" he asked and she glanced back at her through her pink bangs that hung over her face.

"Yes," she answered and saw him open his mouth. "No you can't play."

He sounded disappointed, but she didn't glance at him to see him. "I didn't want to play anyway."

"Then it's no loss," she retorted with a bit of sass as she leaned against the tree branch. She absorbed the sound of Naruto swinging back and forth as she gazed through the leaves in search for Shikamaru. She decided to get comfortable, despite the fact that her suspicion was growing. 

Naruto had opened his mouth to speak a couple times, and Shion knew this since she heard him made a small sound each and every time he tried. It wasn't like she'd completely blow him off if he did speak to her, so it was just a matter of waiting. She tapped her finger, impatient, against her leg, feeling the swing go back and forth as Naruto nervously swung. 

"Are you any good at hide and seek, Naruto?" Shion finally asked, her guilt breaking through the surface as she turned her head to see Naruto had paused in his swinging. She wasn't able to see his face from up above, but she could guess he was surprised she talked to him. It wasn't something she made a habit on doing, and this was less because everybody bad mouthed him behind his back on some nonsense like 'my mom said he was not to be trusted'. 

After all, Shion didn't currently have parents to tell her that. Instead, she made a habit to avoid him since she still remembered an incident two years ago where she had been hit in the face with balloons full of paint. It was safe to say that this bitch could hold a grudge and Naruto made it easy to maintain since _he was very annoying._

"I am the best at it," Naruto said, getting louder and making her wish that he could have been more humble and less loud. She rolled her eyes, glancing over through the leaves of the tree in search of Shikamaru.

However, the boy was nowhere in sight and she slightly frowned, wondering if she had been fooled again. She could practically picture the boy still sitting on that hilltop, unmoving. Her fist clenched, and just as she was about to climb down from the tree, she heard the branch start to snap as Naruto resumed swinging.

She glanced over towards it with wide eyes and attempt to find leverage, but sadly only twigs surrounded her. "Naruto move!" Shion screamed, and the branch that the swing was connected to her immediately fell, and she fell along with it.

Naruto did not move in time, but luckily, Shion had managed to swipe the heavy branch away before it could fall on his head. It probably would do the annoying boy some good, but she didn't have it in her to see him get hurt because of something she did.

She felt her body collide with his, breaking her fall as her stomach rested against his back. "Ow. You alright?"

She forced herself off, inspecting the broken skin over her elbows, only to find that Naruto was obviously trying not to cry. His hands were scarred and his clothes were filthy, causing Shion to feel rush of guilt. She forgot about her bloody arms and instead, forced him up so she could inspect his hands.

"What are you doing, dattebayo?" Naruto asked, and she attempted to apologize, but the words would not escape her mouth.

"You should have moved you idiot!" she snapped, immediately chiding herself afterwards. _Good apology Shion. Nice._

She decided not to stay, bleeding and embarrassed so she stormed off, leaving Naruto there so she could get away from the emotion that resembled guilt. As soon as she was a distance away she felt even worse that she didn't try to at least help him.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered as she walked towards the hill where she had last seen Shikamaru. She took an angry inhale of breath when she saw he hadn't moved. In fact, he had been in that one place so long that an indent of his body was very evident in between the long strands of grass around him.

She felt her eye twitch and she reached down towards her boot, placing her fingers around the kunai she had stolen from one of the older orphans last year. _I am going to cut his hair off._

"Can you put that away. You are so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, and Shion let out a hissed breath before she held up a finger.

"I hid for one hour. A whole hour," she commented and she opened her palms wide in front of him. "I have splinters."

"Technically," Shikamaru yawned loudly into his hand. "I said I would seek. I never said when."

Shion held her temper with nimble fingers before she could explode. "That's just rude, Shikamaru. I'll get you back for this."

"Shouldn't you be meeting your new team about now," Shikamaru said mid yawn.

Shion's eyes widened, having forgotten about such a thing in the midst of kicking Assbutts's ugly face. "Shit."

She didn't hear Shikamaru's reply as she dashed off towards the training grounds. Likely, Shikamaru wouldn't know she was gone. She cursed once more, kicking off her shoes and grabbing them in one motion. With her feet free, her speed increased until people became a blur to her.

By the time she neared the training grounds, she saw the blurred figures of her teammates in the distance. She came to a stop in front of them, raising a finger to stop them from talking as she caught her breath.

"D-did I make it in time? Where's the teacher?" Shion glanced around, looking for the sensei, but the only one in front of her was the two classmates who had been announced as part of her team. She had never talked to them much since she was always at the back of the class, taking notes and drawing stars in her books.

Misaki Kazuma and Hikaru Hyuuga rolled their eyes as if they were holding back some kind of secret that Shion wasn't apart allowed to join.

"There's no 'I' in teamwork, guys," Shion commented and simultaneously they crossed their arms.

"As far as I'm considered, you aren't part of the team considering how late you were," Hikaru chimed in and Misaki nodded her head.

"If the sensei isn't even here yet, then I don't know what you two are so testy about," Shion fired back smugly.

Before she could get a reply, she was lifted up by her collar so roughly that she lost her breath as her feet came up off the ground. "Look at this," a monotone voice drawled out. "Tell me, is showing up late supposed to impress me?"

Shion attempted to turn her head to look her assailant in the eye, but the collar stopped her from turning it far. She attempted to escape, but the grip was firm and struggling hurt more than staying still. "Yo, let me go. I wasn't that late."

She was tossed to the ground, and she barely managed to land on her feet. She turned and met the eyes―or rather―eye of the woman with vibrant orange hair. It spiraled in careful curls and her silver eye that was visible was set in a glare, with just barely the glint of amusement.

"I'm Tsukasa. You will call me sensei or Tsukasa-sensei. If you call me Tsu, Kasa, Kasa-chan, Tsu Tsu, or any other nickname, I will fail you," the woman placed a finger on her lips as if she just told a deep secret. "Any questions?" 

"So you're our sensei," Shion asked, pointing to the dainty looking woman who looked like she wasted far too much time on her appearance. It was hard to take her seriously since her eye and lips were coated in a layer of makeup.

What kind of ninja took so much time to look so dressed up? But more than that, she looked so young.

Shion couldn't help but feel an air of disappointment and if the woman could tell, she didn't comment on it.

"You are later than Shion, sensei," Hikaru said with a grin as he folded his hands behind his head.

Tsukasa smiled, "I was here on time. Didn't see the point in training a partial squad so I took a nap."

"But then why-" Misaki began but Tsukasa's wide eye stare broke her off.

"Do you know why we have three man teams, Kazuma Misaki?" Tsukasa said the girl's name as if it were strange for her to say it.

"Proper formation? Easiest for teamwork," Misaki listed out a few more, but Tsukasa didn't look impressed.

"We have them because some old men who never fight decided it was proper," she answered with a wave of her hand. "Lesson one." Tsukasa raised a single finger. "I don't give a fuck about teamwork. If you want to show up late and never bond with your team, then so be it. But if you are easily tossed around and out of breath by the time you get here, then we have a problem. I want strength."

Misaki raised a single hand, her blonde hair bobbing as she did. "Tsukasa-sensei, I'm a medic."

Shion noticed that Tsukasa's expression slightly darkened and almost immediately Misaki was tossed on her back from a wire that had wrapped around her leg. None of the three had even seen Tsukasa do it.

"If you want to lag around like an idiot, healing your comrades and letting them fight for you, then you will watch them die in front of you," Tsukasa dragged the wire in one motion until Misaki was at her feet. Shion found herself suppressing a shiver at the annoyance in her teacher's eye. "Come on. Don't be shy. Heal your leg after I sever it from your knee."

Misaki's face was red and she looked close to crying by the time Tsukasa chuckled. "Lesson two. Iryō-ninjutsu is versatile. You have to be able to defend yourself from attackers as well as heal your comrades. I can help you there." She held out her hand for Misaki to take, and with an obvious brush of hesitation, Misaki gripped it and stood. 

Hikaru's usual smile was gone as he stared at the teacher with a frown. "You're our sensei? Seriously?"

Tsukasa straightened her back as all expression disappeared from her face. "Was I not to your fantasy perception of Shinobi life?" She twirled a strand of orange curls around her fingers. "I'm not here to coddle you guys. I'm not here to kiss your wounds and tell you that you will always be safe. Spoiler alert: most likely one of you will die or kill someone. Do they not tell you that in ninja academy?"

"They usually leave out the part of people dying," Shion finally chimed in, and immediately regretted it as Tsukasa's expression once more darkened.

"I intend not to," she commented. "I intend to properly prepare you. If this isn't the life you are ready for, it's best you take yourself out of the game now."

"Have you killed anyone, sensei?" Hikaru's question was greeted with silence and what looked like amusement.

"Another lesson for another day," she replied, sparing another glance towards Misaki who still looked to be close to crying. "You can cry later. Now is the time to show me you potential."

"I heard there was gonna be another test," Shion commented, and Hikaru groaned.

"Another? Are you serious?" At this, Hikaru let out an annoyed complaint.

"Think of the Genin test as a preliminary exam, testing basic knowledge set on standardized practices. Example being the three basic types of Jutsu categories: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. Any idiot with a couple months of practice can pass it," as Tsukasa spoke, Shion felt her annoyance rise as she made light of the exam she spent so much time to pass.

"It was super easy of a test," Hikaru agreed with an arrogant sniff that made Shion snort.

"Weren't you the one who nearly failed?" Shion commented in return and Hikaru's face turned into a bright shade of red.

"You must have me mistaken with someone else," he replied and Misaki slightly lifted her head, mid sniff.

"I heard the teachers felt bad cause he cried," she said, and Shion's lips curled into a smug smirk as Hikaru's face ignited.

"As amusing as this had been," Tsukasa didn't look at all amused and that look made any humor leave the three new Genin. "As I was saying. You three passed that easy exam, and are considered Genin only in name. To me that headband means as much as any other accessory. If I choose to do so, I could send you back to the academy right now. Especially the one who was late..." The pink haired girl stiffened as her heart slightly raced from the coldness in Tsukasa's face. "Lucky for you, I believe _quite intimately in fact_ in second chances. Now. To this village, you may be considered Genin, but to me you are nothing more than academy students playing with weapons."

"What can we do to prove to you that we are more?" Shion's fear drizzled away as she stared into the dark void of Tsukasa's eye.

"A mock mission. I just want to see what you guys can do. How you work together," Tsukasa's answer made the three Genin perk and Shion stood straighter, wanting to make a good impression since she was so obviously late to this meeting. Something told her that being on this woman's bad side was not a good thing.

But something also told her that this woman didn't have a good side. With that in mind, Shion all but forgot how young she looked.  
  



	3. A Little Bit Of Piracy

**A LITTLE BIT OF PIRACY**

Chapter Two 

**HIKARU WAS THE BOY IN CLASS WHO WOULD GET OUT OF RUNNING LAPS BY TELLING** Iruka that he had bad gas. Misaki was the girl in class who would let everyone know that he had chronic diarrhea by the time the laps were over and make sure everyone believed it. Shion, never one for skipping on training or gossip, felt rather cheated when it was announced they would be on team 3 together. 

"It seems like an easy 'mission'," Hikaru said as he glanced at the Uchiha compound from over the walls.

"You are as stupid as you are ugly," Shion retorted from next to him.

"What did you just say to me?" Hikaru hissed in return and Shion's eyes narrowed as she turned her head and met his stare. His face was so close she could smell the ramen he ate that morning. 

"So you're deaf too? I'll make note of that and learn how to communicate with deaf idiots," she retorted and Misaki sighed from next to them.

"Can you two stop. We are in the Uchiha compound and you know they hate outsiders," she hissed and both of them backed away from each other. They also simultaneously muttered 'he/she started it.'

"I hate you Shion," Hikaru said in a hushed whisper.

"Crap, and I was so hoping we could be best friends," she commented in return with a scoff. 

"Let's just focus. Itachi Uchiha is a legend," Misaki warned, and Shion rolled her eyes in response.

"He's just one man," she retorted, and for a moment she heard the wooden box she stood on start to creak. Her height was never one of her greatest factors, so she had been using it to see over the fence and even then she was just barely able to see.

"Regardless, a single person can do a lot and if you remember, he also graduated to Jounin at 13," Misaki retaliated, and Hikaru's sigh broke into their argument.

"Let's just make the plan," Shion announced.

"And you think you can do that. You're like five years too young to order us around," Misaki teased Shion's smaller age with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, what were you doing at nine years old? Braiding hair and dreaming of being a ninja?" Shion had been tossed into the academy early on, as for orphans, it was much easier to enroll. The orphanage didn't have toys or many games so all she ever did with her free time was work out, train, and play shogi and mahjong.

So of course, she developed a keen mind and sense of awareness for her surroundings. It did help that the only books the orphanage had besides picture books on some stupid bunny that liked to sing the alphabet, was the 'Art of War' by Yamamoto Takahashi and the 'Secrets of Ninjutsu' by Sekimono Gigi.

That was probably the reason she wanted to be a ninja.

"Okay. Starting off, Misaki you can't be the infiltrator," Shion stated right away. The girl, who likely never wanted to go in at all, frowned as if Shion just said something offensive.

"Why not? Why do you get to decide? You're not the leader, and neither are you the oldest," Misaki retorted and Shion shook her head.

"There's a slight tear in your sandals and every time you walk your skin slaps against the material," Shion said, none too nicely, but also not coldly. "Also, you chose pink for your outfit choice, and it is covered with flower designs. While pretty looking, it will also draw eyes to us, and the last thing we want is unwanted attention. That being said, you simply look like a foreigner in this part of town where everyone has black hair and dark eyes. Your hair is blond and your eyes are bright blue. Even if you wanted to hinge into a disguise, I happen to know that you can't hinge for more than five minutes."

"How do you know that?" Misaki asked, offended and annoyed.

"I paid attention in class. So unless you've had some extra training this last couple weeks, nothing I said was incorrect. We need someone who is nimble, quick on their feet, and can get in and out without being detected," Shion announced, and Hikaru let out a coughing sound in order to draw attention.

"I know what you mean. With my superior Byakugan and ability to hinge for an entire _seven_ minutes, I am the ideal choice," Hikaru held his hand near his chin, letting out a puff of arrogance that made Shion roll her eyes.

"Under normal circumstances, that would be true, but since I did see your Taijutsu skills during our practicals, I know your abilities and quite frankly they are unimpressive. Even more so, since you mentioned, your Byakugan doesn't give you the advantage for the mission," Shion gave him a sad smile. The unapologetic look made him grow more angry and he looked ready to push her off her box. "I think it would be better if you stay behind and be the lookout. Your eyes are better than mine so it would be beneficial for all of us."

"So what, you're all powerful and deserve to be the one who goes alone?" Misaki asked and Shion sighed. "Also, you are in full pink, right down to your hair."

"Yes but I'm tiny and I can hold a transformation Jutsu for long periods of time. Obviously pink hair and bright eyes will stick out to the Uchiha, hence the hinge that I can _actually_ hold. I know how to be sneaky," she didn't chime in that the reason she was so good was because of hours of hide and seek every week. "Isn't the first thing we should do as a team is trust one another?"

"That's rich considering how you just treated me," Hikaru muttered, causing Misaki to nod.

"I said trust, not trust blindly," she commented in return. "Misaki, I know your special skills involve you Chakra control and your medical abilities."

Misaki scratched her head sheepishly, "well I don't wanna toot my own horn but-"

"Unfortunately, your medical prowess is useless right now and regardless of your control, you haven't trained your Chakra effectively to have large storage," Shion continued as if she had never been interrupted. "However, good Chakra control can come in handy if you know more Jutsu."

"Well, yeah, but," Misaki muttered in a dejected tone.

Shion pulled out some walkie talkies from her bag and handed one to each of them, in the mean time putting a headset on her ear.

"Where did you get those?" Hikaru asked.

"I stole them from Iruka-sensei last year," she said, not mentioning that she stashed one in his floorboards so she could make random animal noises at night.

"I'm going to pretend I never heard that," Misaki said, twisting the device in her hand.

"Now, Misaki, we need to keep Itachi out of his house. The moment he enters, we can assume this mission becomes impossible," Shion announced. "And I for one would sooner die than go back to the academy."

"So would we," Hikaru and Misaki agreed.

"No one cares about you. Everyone already made their bets how long you two will last. I'm a prodigy and being sent back would be just embarrassing," Shion retorted.

"You don't have any friends, do you?" Hikaru asked, holding back Misaki from punching the eight year old.

"Shut up, it's mutual," Shion said flatly, leaning over the fence. "Okay, if your ready say 'I' in the receiver."

"You're the most arrogant brat I have ever met, but fine," Hikaru muttered.

"If Hikaru trusts you, I guess I will to," Misaki muttered.

"None of you said 'I'..." 

●▬▬▬Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ▬▬▬●

"Alpha in place, over," Shion announced.

"Why are you Alpha?" Hikaru whined.

"Cause you pulled the short end of the stick, now be quiet," Shion retorted, before adding a slow, "over."

"You don't have to say 'over'...we get the point when you stop talking," Misaki announced.

"You don't have to be annoying, we get the point when you start talking," Shion retorted like the nine year old she was, causing both of her teammates to sigh.

"What are you going to steal anyway?" Misaki asked with a grunt of annoyance. Shion didn't answer causing Misaki to send Hikaru a look that scream 'can I kill her?'. "...over..."

"Kasa-sensei said to take something of great value to him, which means that we'd have to observe him for long periods of time," Hikaru whispered in the walkie. "...over."

"That would risk being caught by him, so fuck that, over," Shion jumped onto the roof of his house.

"That's part of the mission," Misaki said, getting no response. "Oh my god, _over_."

"What's he doing Hikaru, over?" Shion asked, and Hikaru hissed.

"He's heading back to the house, abort mission, abort," Hikaru said quickly.

"Don't worry. Distraction away, over," Misaki turned to Hikaru. "I'll show her who can keep up a transformation." 

Misaki did a quick hand sign, turning into Tsukasa. Hikaru whistles lowly, "cut back on the attitude. Kasa-sensei looks more chill."

"Grumpy and mean," Misaki whispered with a nod before she said, "got it." She raised the walkie to her lips. "I'll show you Shion."

"Whatever," Shion said in return. "Over."

Misaki jumped down, hiding behind a house before walking out casually to catch up with the Itachi Uchiha. She knew it was stupid to feel so elevated, especially since he was only two years older than her, but he was also the youngest to ever reach Jounin in the history of Konoha so she was two seconds from a nose bleed.

"Itachi," it felt so weird to not use a honorific on a man she had never spoken to before, but she did her best as Tsukasa didn't seem like the type to use it. He turned around and his eyes stared her up and down. In that moment she thought she was found out (which would be embarrassing considering her earlier bout of arrogance only three minutes ago). 

"You're unusually cheery," he commented, and she wanted to bash her brains in that he picked up a discrepancy when all she said was his name.

"I'm supposed to be meeting my team and they ran off this way," she commented, trying to put as little feeling into her words as possible. _Sound bored with life, Misaki._

"Is this a joke, Kasa?" he asked, looking her up and down.

"Is what a joke?" she asked and his lips slightly quirked into a smile.

"Who are you?" he asked, and Misaki felt her heart stop.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You never let anyone call you 'Kasa'," he replied and she gulped, remembering Tsukasa-sensei's introduction. 

"I've been working on it?" she said, hating herself that it sound more like a question.

"You're being weird so I'm going home," he turned on his heel and started walking away. Misaki heard Hikaru's voice through the receiver.

"Nice. You distracted him for a whole two minutes," he chuckled, causing Misaki's face to ignite red.

"Who figures out an imposter after just one word?" Misaki decided to take her frustrations out on her pillow, covering her screams later.

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Shion felt her heart race at her henge, finding it weird to be so tall and so obviously a boy. She took off her shoes at the front door placing them in her weapon's bag seeing as she wasn't going to come back for them. She walked further into the house, finding Itachi's mom in the kitchen making food. "Itachi," the woman sounded so kind as she turned towards her, and Shion wondered if this was what her own mother would be like if she got the chance to really know her. "Are you hungry?"

Now it was only a matter of finding out how Itachi spoke to his mom, and perhaps she would have known if she observed more. Of course, that would also be a huge risk considering the properties of the clan's Kekkei Genkai, mixed with the fact that Itachi Uchiha was a legend of Shinobi. 

"I ate before coming here," Shion said with a smile as she walked towards the hallway, finding, much to her annoyance that she didn't know which room was hers. 

"Oh, I wish you would stop doing that," the mother scolded, and Shion silently agreed. If she had a mother waiting for her like this, she would never eat out. 

"Sorry mom, next time," she whispered, trying to keep her voice level even though seeing her was difficult. "Well, I have to get some things packed."

"Another mission?" the woman frowned, and Shion, not wanted to agree or disagree, didn't answer. "Alright, please come down and try to eat when you're done. It would make Sasuke very happy."

"Yep," she said, walking to one of the room in the hallway. Shion made sure that the woman couldn't see, just in case it was a random room. It was dark, with nothing more than a picture of a man with candles surround it. It looked very much like a shrine and a curious part of Shion almost wanted to see more, but she decided that curiosity had no place in a mission, even if it was a fake one. 

The next room she opened was that of a kid, she could tell since the kid in question sat at his desk reading a book. Shion cursed in her head as Sasuke's head snapped towards her. "Brother, are we going to train this time?" Shion frowned, not knowing what to say.

"No, I was just checking on you, mom wanted you to come down to eat," she said, pulling the excuse out of her ass.

"So we're not going to train?" Sasuke asked, and he looked so dejected that Shion almost felt bad.

"Maybe next time, Sasuke," she said with a smile and he flinched as if he were expected her to hit him or something. Shion furrowed her brows, closing the door.

_What a freak_ , she thought, finding the last room and smiling.

"This has to be it," she whispered, finding the room had a very Itachi vibe to it. It had weapons hung on the walls and was neat and organized. It didn't look like the type of room that a mother would have, and obviously it wasn't Sasuke's room. She noticed that everything was well dusted, as if he were afraid of the very lint. She felt like an intruder and that was unnerving since it was _Itachi Uchiha_. "Now what to steal..."

"I'll show you, Shion," she heard Misaki say through the receiver and Shion rolled her eyes. 

"Whatever, over" she said in return, walking over to Itachi's drawer and opening the first one. "Hey Hikaru, would you feel lost if someone took all your underwear, over?" Shion asked in the mic.

"Shion, what the fuck," he commented back.

"I'm going to take that as a yes, over," Shion said, putting back on her shoes and filling her bag with all of Itachi's underwear that was neatly folded in the drawer.

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"What is this?" Tsukasa commented, pulling out some of Itachi's unquestionables from her bag. It was odd to see such a scary person so puzzled and for a moment, Shion found that her sensei looked her age. 

"His underwear," Shion said, finding Hikaru and Misaki were covering their faces with their hands.

"We are so sorry sensei," Misaki mumbled, her face red.

"Look, you said to grab something precious of his," Shion commented.

"Yes...I did," Tsukasa agreed.

"So...did we pass?" Hikaru asked, raising his head.

Tsukasa's lips twitched, and her one eye blinked a couple times. "This wasn't what I had in mind...but a deal is a deal," Tsukasa said, putting the clothes back into the bag with a sigh. "You three showed great teamwork today."

"You were watching us?" Misaki asked, her eyes widening.

"Of course," Tsukasa replied. "I heard every word. You three actually worked well together, and built off each other's strengths. I was impressed at the formulation of an actual plan. Many would get nervous and attempt to spy for a lot longer. That is a good plan, had the person you were to spy not been Uchiha Itachi. It was a good idea to make this as quick as possible. I was...I guess you can say, proud."

"Really?" Misaki asked, happy for the praise. 

"Sure," Tsukasa said in a monotone. "I mean, it showed me at the very least what we need to work on. All the weaknesses that Shion named on you two were apparent in your scores." The two teammates scowled at the girl in question. "Still, Shion, you're not perfect either, so do us all a favor and stop pretending you are. Arrogance is not a way to become the best Shinobi. Confidence, yes, but learn your weaknesses on your own. Don't make me have to draw you a diagram." 

Hikaru and Misaki felt better once Shion got put in her place, but they decided not to voice their amusement, since Tsukasa made it clear she didn't like that either. 

"Now, which one of you called me 'Kasa-sensei', I believe they have a promised beating." 

The three student's tried to run away, but that was hard as a net suddenly sprung up around their feet. Shion was annoyed to be so high from the ground even though she had never misspoke her teacher's name. 

"Welcome to team 3," Tsukasa said. "We're going to have so much fun together."


	4. The Lost Boy

**THE LOST BOY**

Chapter Three

**WHEN SHION FIRST DECIDED TO BECOME A NINJA, SHE THOUGHT HER MISSIONS** would be protecting the innocent or escorting royalty. Her overwhelming ambition for the subject had caused her to study every night under a small light with only her blanket to cover up her actions from the other girls. Lights out at seven they said. 

"Point B secure, over," Shion said in the mic, feeling her hand scrape against the tree bark. _This is not exactly what I pictured._

"You guys are taking this way too seriously, over," Misaki commented.

"I hate cats, why do I have to be point A, over?" Hikaru asked and Shion let out a large sigh before she caught sight of a small black cat's tail, peeking out over the bushes. She grinned, jumping to the ground in a roll.

"Nailed it," she commented as she grabbed the cat that hissed in her direction before snuggling into her arms. "I got the cat, over."

"Is it the right cat this time, over?" Misaki asked and Shion lifted the cat so it faced her.

"I don't know, yes? He has a ribbon, over," Shion said and she felt Hikaru jump down from a tree and walked up next to her, holding up the picture of Tora before letting out a large groan.

"It isn't her!" Hikaru complained, and Shion held the cat closer to her chest.

"Well I'm keeping him," she said.

"What's going on, over?" Misaki asked through the headset.

"Shion found the wrong cat," Hikaru said, watching Shion's eyes narrow, causing him to sigh. "Over."

"AGAIN," Misaki exclaimed.

"Well, it could be worse," Hikaru commented with a sigh. "At least the mangy rodent is far away from me-" In that moment, a cat with claws extended jumped on Hikaru's back, climbing up, raking her claws through his shirt and his skin. Hikaru let out a rather feminine sounding scream as he attempted to toss the cat off of him, but that only succeeded in making the animal's grip strengthen.

In the mean time, Shion grabbed the picture that he dropped off of the forest floor with a nonchalant whistle.

"Good job, Hikaru, you found Tora," Shion said as Hikaru started to cry and sneeze at the same time.

"Get her off! Shion I'm allergic to cats! Shion!" Hikaru shouted, slightly scaring the black cat that still rested in Shion's arms.

"Calm down, Hikaru, you're scaring Mochi," Shion cooed, petting the cat in her arms who had begun to purr.

The sound of Mochi's purring was blocked out by Hikaru's cries.

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"Mission success, good job, go team," Tsukasa's voice was unenthusiastic as she lounged against a tree, a book covering her face. Only her voice was the indication that she was even awake.

"Hey, Shion, don't tell anyone that I cried, okay," Hikaru whispered, wincing as he moved. In the meantime, Shion continued to plant kisses on the calm cats that remained in her arms.

"Hey, Shion, are you alright," Misaki asked, rushing out of the forest, nearly out of breath. "I heard some chick screaming."

"That was Hikaru," Shion said, planting another kiss on Mochi and Tora's head. Hikaru's lips opened wide, as if he was hurt or Shion had done something to surprise him.

Misaki's eyes glanced over to Hikaru, taking a note of his ripped shirt and jagged cuts all over his face. It was silent for a long moment before her lips parted in a violent outburst of laughter. She doubled over, holding her stomach as Hikaru still had the remains of moisture in his eyes.

Tsukasa slowly stood up with a wide yawn as she glanced at the two cats in Shion's arms and Hikaru's wounds before she let out a single chuckle. It was rare to see the woman laugh. In fact, Shion had never seen her show even the slightest action pertaining to happiness or mirth. Hikaru must have been thinking the same thing as his bottom lip trembled and he looked away.

"I hate you guys," he muttered.

Tsukasa glanced over to the cat, or Mochi as Shion called him, that sat content in the pink haired student's arms. "I'm not giving him up. I named him so he's mine," Shion said, and Tsukasa's brow raised into her orange bangs.

"Orphanages don't allow pets, Shion," Tsukasa said and Shion's frown deepened.

"They will! I will convince them," Shion said and the sensei shrugged, obviously losing interest. "Who can say no to this face?"

"Does anyone care about the pain I am in?" Hikaru asked, staring at his team with a scowl. Shion and Tsukasa had successfully ignored him while Misaki was still actively working to stop her laughter. 

"Nah," Shion said, walking ahead of him, and sitting down. "Okay, Misaki, let's fill out that mission report."

Tsukasa yawned again, watching the three students sit over the mission scroll, filling out the details as Tsukasa gave them tips on proper mission etiquette for a successful report. Shion ignored this and drew, under the injury section, a rather descriptive artwork of Hikaru screaming.

Hikaru's face inflamed as he looked up from disinfecting his cat wounds and saw a drawing of him crying and sneezing with a cat on his back, clawing into his neck. "Erase it!" Hikaru ordered and Shion and Misaki shared mischievous smiles.

"No. Tsukasa-sensei said to be as descriptive as possible. What's more descriptive than a drawing?" Shion announced, trading the scroll for the cats that Misaki currently held. The two of them were still laughing at how they were so calm in their arms, and yet so destructive in Hikaru's arms.

"She's not wrong," Tsukasa agreed, silencing all of Hikaru's retorts as they began to walk towards the Hokage tower.

Once they got inside, they dropped off the mission scroll, catching sight of Itachi in the distance as he dropped off his own mission report. His eyes scanned the three with a narrowed gaze before they stopped on Tsukasa. He bowed to the Chuunin who collected the mission reports before walking over to their team.

Tsukasa slightly froze, and the scene was rather comical in its own way as she began to slightly nibble on her lip before she caught herself and her face turned to stone. "Itachi," she greeted with a nod.

His lips curled down into a frown, "I know it was you."

"If you are talking about certain items that were...procured-" she began, only to be interrupted.

"Stolen," Itachi corrected and Tsukasa's lips formed into a smirk.

"...procured," she continued, much to the amusement of her team, "...from your room, then I assure you that I had nothing to do with it."

"Hn," he said, crossing his arms.

"And my sources tell me that they were placed back in their original spot," she said and Itachi's scowl deepened. "But this is all hypothetical."

"Hypothetically speaking," it took Shion a moment to see that Itachi's eyes were rather playful when he spoke. "If it happens again, you'll find that certain items of yours will...disappear."

Tsukasa's smirk widened, "hypothetically speaking."

"Of course," he commented, bowing to both her and her team, not forgetting his manners as he walked away.

"Lets turn in the scroll and then see what mission we get next," Tsukasa announced.

"Is Itachi-san angry?" Misaki asked, sparing a scowl towards Shion, who continued to place kisses on the cat's head. "Maybe we should formally apologize."

"Nah. Itachi will be fine," Tsukasa commented in return. "I returned the items. What more can we do?"

"We could have not stolen it in the first place," Misaki said, scowling towards Shion once more.

"Whether we stole it or not, I highly doubt your crush on Itachi would go places anyway," Shion announced, causing Hikaru to laugh as Misaki's face inflamed red.

"You have a crush on Itachi? Hah!" Hikaru chuckled, as Tsukasa rubbed her temples as they waited in line.

"What! He's only a few years older," Misaki complained, hiding her face. "You don't think I have a chance?"

"Maybe in another life," Shion said with a grin.

Tsukasa snorted, opening a her book and in that moment, Shion noticed the drawing of a naked lady on the inside. "Are you reading hentai, sensei?" Hikaru asked, breaking apart the argument.

"Is that what this is?" the teacher said without missing a beat or even hesitating as she continued reading.

"Do you know Itachi-san really well, sensei," Misaki asked, not much caring about her sensei's book.

"Yep," the teacher said in the same tone as before.

"Do you know if he's..." Misaki's face inflamed once more, her fingers brushing together from in front of her.

"Not interested? Yep," Tsukasa said, turning a page in her book as Shion and Hikaru let out loud and obnoxious bits of laughter at Misaki's expense.

"I hate you all," she muttered, slapping her hand against Hikaru's neck, right where the most deep of the claw marks resided. Hikaru let out a soft sob.

"Why only me?" he complained

Shion placed her ear near the cat's mouth, as if the animal was telling her a secret. She nodded her head, turning towards Hikaru. "Tora says that she thinks you're a little bitch."

"Say that to my face you ugly cat," Hikaru hissed towards the cat who replied with a hiss of her own, causing Hikaru to back off.

As soon as they got to the front of the line, Tora's owner, madam Shijimi, engulfed Tora and Mochi into a hug. The fire Daimyo's wife was a heavy set woman with a lot of purple eyeshadow covering her lids. It also seemed she put all her weight into hugging both cats, who stared at Shion as if she just gave them up to the devil.

"Oh you found Tora and Tora the second," madam Shijimi cooed, pressing her face into Tora's and Mochi's (also known as Tora the second) tiny bodies. "I would never forget about you Tora! You ran away for so long. I can't thank you three enough. Tora the second ran away years ago. I never thought I would see him again," the woman turned her coos back to her cat. "Things haven't been the same without you, love."

"Mochi..." Shion stared at her new best friend, the cat she was already planning on getting a bed for, with a look of longing.

"Hah! Serves you right," Hikaru commented.

"Does she name all her cats Tora?" Misaki asked, watching her teacher turn another page in her book.

"Yep," Tsukasa answered with a bored expression.

"Come on Tora and Tora 2, Tora 18 has missed you two so much."

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"Can you quit sulking? It's very distracting," Hikaru's voice chimed through Shion's bout of self pity as she tore out another weed.

"What's there to be focused on? We are pulling weeds," Shion muttered, kicking a tomato plant. "I can sulk as much as I want."

"If you're so mad, then why don't you do something about it?" Misaki suggested as she glanced around for any sign of Tsukasa, only to find the woman was nowhere to be seen. She smiled and pulled out a compact mirror, apply some lip balm onto her now chapped lips.

Shion perked up, "you mean like steal Mochi back from that muffin top?"  
  
"No! I meant like get an other cat!" Misaki exclaimed with her bright blue eyes widened in horror.

Hikaru was focused on another issue, "did you just call the fire Daimyo's wife a muffin top?"

"I miss Mochi..." Shion whined while both Hikaru and Misaki found themselves surprised that when she acted like this, pouty and childlike. They weren't certain which was more annoying, whining Shion or arrogant Shion. 

"I'm sure Mochi is happy where he is," Misaki tried to be comforting, but it only made Shion angry.

"You don't actually believe that," Shion whined, causing Misaki's hands to raise as the girl rolled her eyes.

"I don't actually care."

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At the end of the day, Shion's hands were sore and more than anything she just wanted to go home. Her teammates seemed to agree with this idea, but sadly, Tsukasa had other plans.

"Give me twenty laps around the village. When you're done, meet me back here and then you can go home," Tsukasa ordered.

"What?" Hikaru asked and the one eyed sensei frowned.

"Did I stutter?" she said, tilting her head.

"No but we just got finished with our missions," Misaki agreed with Hikaru, but Shion was already preparing her stretches, getting ready for the run. "Shouldn't we begin training when we are ready for it?"

Tsukasa's face turned impassive, "do you think your enemies would wait until you're well rested to strike? Do you think they would tell you when you are about to be attacked?"

"What enemies? We're in a time of peace," Hikaru muttered in return, not expecting the teacher to hear him.

"That's what everyone says right before a time of war, so get running. If danger ever strikes, you need to know how to run away, no matter how tired you are. Build up that weak stamina or you can spend the rest of your days resting in the academy," Tsukasa replied, leaning her hip to the side before her lips spread into a cruel and tiny smile. "20 laps. I don't care how long it takes, but if you want to get home, then I'd suggest hurrying this along."

Shion did her last stretch before she took off running, very aware of Hikaru and Misaki's scowls on her back.

But of course, the stretches were not nearly enough as she was gasping for air by the fourth lap. She clutched her stomach as she staggered past Tsukasa who was currently walking up and down a tree, reading her book. The woman glanced over to the pink haired student with a slight frown.

"Maybe I assigned too many laps," Tsukasa mused, her voice coming out disappointed and Shion stood up straight.

"Please, I got this. Watch me breeze through this," Shion said, just as Hikaru finished his second lap.

"I think...I'm going to...throw up...my takoyaki," Hikaru said, in between gasps.

"Gross," Shion whispered, running backwards so he could see her disgusted expression.

"Go...to hell...Shion," Hikaru gasped out, running after her.

"At this rate, you're going to be here all night," Tsukasa called after the two, hiding her smile behind her book.

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"Sadist...monster...am I having a heart attack?" Shion whispered to herself as she limped through the gates of the orphanage, broken from her sense of self-pity with the commotion coming from the garden. At first, she was going to ignore it and throw up in the bathroom, take a shower to rid herself of the thick layer of sweat that covered her, and go to sleep.

However, if there was something Shion couldn't stand, it was assholes. She paused, wondering if maybe she was an asshole as well, but put that thought on hold. 

"No one wants you here. Parents never adopt us because everyone hates to see you," came the voice of one of the kids, causing Shion to move closer to the garden, walking around the giant house of the orphanage to see three kids bullying Naruto.

"Seriously," Shion muttered.

 _Sure, the kid is super annoying, but that doesn't mean that every problem is his problem,_ Shion thought with a frown.

"Actually," Shion began, her lips forming into a large grin. "No one adopts you because you're incredibly ugly."

The three kids turned towards her with forming frown, and they actually looked hurt by her comment. Shion decided she created an insecurity in them, but in her defense, they _were_ ugly. "What do you know? Your mother couldn't wait to give you up!" one of the boys shouted, but Shion's eyes were on Naruto who was looking at her as if she were some kind of hero.

"They bothering you, Naruto?" Shion asked, ignoring the three as she pushed past them. Her arms were heavy, and she was very close to having her knees buckle out of pure exhaustion. With all these issues, she knew that her only option was to fake it out and make them believe she could kick their ass (as on most given days, she could).

"No! I don't need your help, dattebayo," Naruto said, his own pride slipping through his voice. Shion did find that a rather admirable quality, especially considering he was two years younger than her. "I'm going to be Hokage one day, and when I am, I am kicking you three out of the village!"

"No one would vote for you Naruto. Loser orphans don't become Hokage," one of the kids shouted, and his words made a nerve shatter in Shion's heart.

"This village was built on the backs of orphans. Parents die everyday," Shion said, using the last of her strength to push one of the boys to the ground. The other two raised their fists. "Come on, you wanna go. Fight me. Give me a reason to blacken your ugly eyes."

"I don't need to," the third kid said, lowering his fists. "My parents may have died...but at least I can say with confidence that if they were alive, they would at least want me."

"Lets go, Takero," said the first boy, getting up off the ground. Shion could only guess that he could tell she was about to beat them to the ground on pure adrenaline. She might have done so if Naruto hadn't yelled to her defense.

"Shion doesn't need those parents because she will be a ninja and make a new family, dattebayo," Naruto exclaimed as the three boys scoffed and ran off.

Shion lost the will to scream, which wasn't something that happened often. "You okay, Naruto?"

"Yep," Naruto grinned, scratching underneath his nose. "I didn't need your help."

"I wasn't doing that to help you," Shion said with a huff, slightly annoyed with his response. "I just genuinely think those three are ugly idiots."

"Why are you all wet, dattebayo?" Naruto asked, and Shion wrinkled her nose.

"My new sensei is a nightmare," Shion replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occurs to me, for people who haven't read House of Cards (Tsukasa's story) probably didn't get the small references that I put in the story for it. That's okay. Like I said, you can understand this story just fine without Chasing Smoke and House of Cards. You'll just understand certain events more with those two stories under your belt. Tsukasa, which will probably never be revealed in this story, has a very confusing background, but it is easily understood in the very first chapter of House of Cards.


	5. Baiting a Mermaid

**BAITING A MERMAID**

Chapter Four

**WHEN SHE WAS LITTLE, ONE OF THE ONLY MEMORIES SHE HAD OF HER FATHER,** had taught her that it was not nice to hit or say unkind words. Even back then, she was apparently quick to use her fists to get what she wanted. That went especially true when some other kid tried to steal her crayon and she cried as she backhanded him to get it back.Still, her father's warning stuck with her: _be kind_. Shion wasn't a mean child. She spoke her mind and was quick witted, but she always _tried_ to not be cruel. So she didn't care much for Uzumaki Naruto, but that wasn't because of the hateful stares or prejudices of the adults, whispering about demons in their village.

She wasn't one to follow the pack, especially since those adults were annoying, if not more annoying than Hikaru and Misaki.

She didn't like Naruto for one simple reason. He was too loud, obnoxious, mischievous...

Shion pouted, "that's more than one reason."

Naturally, she wasn't the too happy with Naruto when he showed up outside of the girl's dorms with with a can of paint and a hesitant grin. Shion still had her toothbrush in her mouth by the time she took notice to the consistent knocking on the walls. This became Shion's problem to deal with since she woke up early for training and her four roommates only continued to roll over in their bunk beds, pillows covering their heads.

"The heck...?" Shion asked and he rocked back and forth on his heels in a very annoying way that made her feel guilty for some reason. "You're dropping paint on the floor, Naruto." She glanced down as the paint can continued dripping red from the sides. Shion decided she didn't care about the ugly floors as the paint would add some color to the chipped wood floor. With that in mind, she continued to brush her teeth.

"I was thinking, we could paint the Hokage monument," he said and Shion blinked, tucking loose strands of pink hair as she turned around and walked back into the dorm, leaving the door open as she walked into the bathroom and rinsed out her mouth. By the time she walked back to the door she found Naruto was still standing there, looking less certain as the minutes ticked on by and that made her curious if this kid really had no friends. Shion frowned, leaning against the door frame.

"All the Hokage monuments?" Shion asked and immediately his face brightened.

"I like targeting the Third the most!" The excitement in his voice was making it difficult to say no, also, vandalizing Hiruzen Sarutobi's monument sounded hilarious.

"Why are you asking me?" she finally questioned, toying with the bottom of her shirt, wondering if her sensei would mind if she ended up being late to training.

"I don't have anyone else..." Naruto mumbled so low that it was a wonder that she heard him at all.

Tsukasa was going to kill her, "alright, but let's be quick. My sensei is a bitch."

Naruto's grin widened across his face. She found it quite odd that he could develop such life in his eyes from something so foolish and simple, but who was she to judge him. She was becoming more and more certain this boy had no friends from the surprised look he gave her when she took one side of the heavy paint can in his hands. The steel handle jabbed into her palm, and she was just slightly taller than Naruto, so it made holding it even with him a little annoying.

But he looked so happy that there was no other choice but to continue being at his side. She supposed she pitied him a little, as she certainly never took her time to defend him when kids spoke badly of his character. She had only even stopped bullies from kicking his loud-mouthed ass the one time.

Perhaps she could use a friend as well, also she was looking forward to defacing the Third Hokage's statue.

"Okay, you take the right, I'll take the left," he said and Shion smiled, grabbing the paint can with one hand.

"Let's get to the vandalizing."

Shion drew a mustache on the fourth Hokage's face, and grew annoyed that her arm tired so quickly from how much work it took to detail the hair. In contrast, Naruto splattered paint with no care. Her eyes glanced from the monument and towards Naruto's face with a slowly forming smile. "Has anyone ever told you that have a striking similarity to the Fourth?"

Naruto glanced over to the monument, pausing his work of painting a green bit of snot from coming out from the Third Hokage's nose. "I don't think we look alike."

"You're probably right," Shion replied, glancing back towards the monument and over to Naruto's face before shaking her head and climbing up to draw the unibrow.

"You are really good at this, Shion-chan," Naruto praised, climbing over to where she rested perched on the first Hokage's head.

"I like to draw," Shion said, glancing to her detailed mustache and unibrow. "I have to say, this wasn't what I had in mind when I learned how to paint."

Shion's dimpled cheeks became more visible when she smiled and her curled and pink hair cupped her cheeks as she smeared the paint on her hands against her legs. In the next moment, she pulled out her backpack, grabbed a rice ball, and then unwrapped it. Naruto still looked rather hesitant and shy, as if she were about to shove him from the rock.

As if she could ever do such a thing. That would just be annoying to have people asking her why she would do that, not to mention Tsukasa would kick her ass.

"Oh my god, Tsukasa-sensei is going to kill me," Shion muttered, finding her rice ball looked less appealing in comparison to her fast approaching demise. She let out a sigh, splitting it in half and handing it to Naruto.

"That's for me?" Naruto's confusion made her feel like a dick for never caring about him before last week. She could tell she had a lot of bad karma to make up.

"Of course, that's why I'm handing it to you, Naruto," Shion told him, standing up and mentally preparing herself for Tsukasa's scolding. If she could only get a scolding then she would consider today to be a success. However, Tsukasa looked to be a woman of action instead of words and Shion was nearly an hour late.

Naruto grabbed it and stared at it as if she had just handed him a ton of cash instead of half a rice ball.

"Well, I have to go," Shion said, holding out her hand. He only stared at it so she grabbed his free hand with a smile and placed it into hers. "It was a pleasure working with you Naruto."

Naruto's lips spread into a wide grin, "yep. I am the future Hokage after all."

Hopefully far in the future.

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Shion did contemplate not showing up at all, as at least that way she could say she had gotten sick. Sadly, she had never been much of a good liar, and despite everything, she did want to be an amazing ninja. She wanted to be someone strong like Tobirama, or gallivant and respected like Hashirama.

Or maybe someone smart like Taehiro from Ninja Love 2.

Okay, maybe historical and war novels were not all she read. Romance books were insightful too. Either way, Taehiro wouldn't skip out on training and she would be damned if she ran out just because Tsukasa was terrifying.

"After waiting for thirty minutes I stopped being mad," came a voice, whispering into her ear and causing Shion to let out a loud scream.

She turned around to face her sensei, who was currently standing much too still with her arms folded over her chest. Even her curls looks frightful in this light. Shion began to wonder if Tsukasa made her eyeliner winged like a bird or if she secretly wanted to cut people every time she blinked.

"You're not mad?" Shion was amazed by her ability to get out the sentence without stuttering.

"Mad?" Tsukasa smiled, her one eye glinting with amusement which made Shion even more nervous. "I'm absolutely livid."

"Oh well, as long as you're not mad," Shion let out a nervous laugh, searching desperately for Misaki and Hikaru with no avail. She nearly suspected that Tsukasa had killed them.

"Oh mad doesn't even begin to cover the feeling I have at this very moment," Tsukasa replied, and Shion barely had time to comprehend the feeling of a chain twisting around her ankles and dangling her in the air.

Shion felt her hair fall from her shoulders and dangle down with her in its braids. "Okay, I get your point. I suck. Can I come down now?"

"Anytime you like," Tsukasa said poking Shion in the forehead hard enough so she could swing back and land right back into Tsukasa's pointer finger. "But you have do it on your own."

"What? That sucks. Its solid steel, sensei," Shion grumbled, trying to free her legs from the chain. "Where is Misaki and Hikaru."

"On their next mission. You can't have expected us to wait forever, let alone five minutes," Tsukasa said, and Shion pouted.

"But I was being a good person today," she replied and Tsukasa snorted.

"Was it everything you dreamed of?" Tsukasa asked before she turned on her heel and began to leave.

"Wait! You're just gonna leave me here?"

"Yeah why?"

"It's summer! It's gonna be hot today!"

"Don't worry. You're an orphan. No one will miss you if you die out here from thirst," Tsukasa wiggled her fingers in a motion of goodbye. "Toodles."

Shion's jaw dropped, "for your information I am not an orphan! My mother is very much alive thank you very much." Shion stopped complaining and attempted to sit up and grab a kunai from her weapons belt, unfortunately her belt was nowhere to be found. She glanced towards the ground below where she dangled and saw her weapons bag resting against the cushion of grass.

She didn't have to ask to know it was Tsukasa's doing so she pointed to her sensei's retreating back with a scowl, "you fiend."

As Shion hung there, restless, tired, and with her legs in pain, she contemplated life. She contemplated how she could stop the blood flowing to her head in such a fast rush that it momentarily left her winded. She contemplated how hot it was going to be when the sun finally reached the top of the sky and blazed heavily against her skin.

In that moment, she caught sight of a silver haired ninja, walking through the clearing of trees with an orange book in his palm. He glanced up, his eyes meeting hers and causing her to let out a sheepish grin.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'm just _hanging out_ ," she said with a raspy laugh as she watched the silver haired ninja raise a single brow. _I'm gonna fucking die here..._

"Hmm," he shrugged and continued walking.

"Hey, before you go, do you think you could toss me a kunai," she asked but he only continued walking.

"Nah," he said as his back got smaller and smaller in the distance.

"What a dick," she muttered, attempting to sit up, meanwhile working all her ab strength in order to grip onto her legs. "I want to go home..."

She felt like her spine was stretched out by the time she grabbed onto the chain, using it as leverage so she could climb her way up. By the time she reached the top of the chain where it remained tied to a thick tree branch, she was already gasping for breath. She sat on top of the branch, her feet still tied together and dangling below her.

She wasted no time attempt to balance her butt and her legs on top of the branch so she could begin untying Tsukasa's monster knot. It was not easy. "Stupid one eyed bitch..." she grumbled as she attempted to free the chain from the bindings. By the time she finally got loose, she only watched as the chain dropped and continued dangling below. She laid back, her breath coming out in gasps as she attempted to close her eyes and rest.

"You got loose. Congratulations," came a sardonic voice, creeping in next to her ear. Shion nearly fell off the branch as she sprung up and met Tsukasa's gaze. "What did you learn from this?"

"That my teacher is the opposite of chill," Shion replied and Tsukasa's lips quirked.

"Keep making those smartass comments and you'll find out just how...'unchill' I can be," Tsukasa warned, immediately forcing Shion to silence her next reply. "I am earnestly disappointed that you chose the most difficult way to free yourself. I mean, yes, it was amusing, but you could have maneuvered your Chakra into your legs and merely broke free."

"It was kind of hard to think, what with my blood flowing into my brain," Shion replied with a frown, annoyed that she didn't think of that.

"Well, I suppose I should let you know you have a mission," Tsukasa stood up and Shion groaned.

"I don't want to pull anymore weeds," she replied, watching Tsukasa's one eye roll up.

"Trust me. It's not fun for me to watch you three attempt to pull weeds correctly," she replied before she jumped off the branch and onto the forest floor below. "But actually, its a C-rank."

Shion sprung up so quickly that she fell off the branch and landed on the ground with a thud. "Really? You mean it? What are we going to to do? Guard a princess? Travel to a distant land and fight bad guys? Assassinate someone? G-"

"Assassinations are A-ranked missions, Shion," Tsukasa interrupted, causing Shion to pout. "No. We have bodyguard duty. Congratulations. You are guarding the Fire Daimyo-"

"The actual Fire Daimyo? Really? Oh that is so cool-"

"No. The Fire Daimyo's wife-"

"Oh? Muffin Top? Well, that's cool too. I mean, I would love to see Mochi again and-"

"Interrupt me one more time and you get sent back onto the chain," Tsukasa warned, causing Shion's mouth to clasp together so quickly that it actually caused her teeth to clatter. "You are guarding the Fire Daimyo's wife's _cats_."

"You are just the best sensei ever," Shion squealed.

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"You are the worst sensei ever," Hikaru tried to speak, but every six words that came out and he would sneeze so hard it was a wonder his tongue didn't fly from his mouth by the force of his body bucking forwards.

There was enough Toras to make an army, and every single one seemed to enjoy the company of the one person in their party who wanted nothing to do with them.

That was unfortunate because Shion was desperately attempting to get Mochi to play with her to no avail. It seemed like the small cat was angry that she had given him up to the one woman he never wanted to see again since the day he tasted the free world outside muffin top's bulky arms that choked the life out of him.

"I have a treat, come on Mochi," Shion cooed, holding out a small bag of cat treats. Mochi only glanced at it before hissing at her and turning back around.

"This entire thing is getting sad, Shion," Misaki informed her as she picked up the scooper that rested near the litter box. "Why do these cats shit so much?"

"Probably cause there is 58 cats in one mansion," Tsukasa stated as she continued doing squats on the ceiling. It was one of her many odd exercises that took place along side Chakra control exercises like walking on water or, case and point, walking on ceilings.

Hikaru's consistent sneezing filled the room as cats continued to rub their bodies up against his legs. "If I die, please bury me far away from this house."

"Why won't Mochi forgive me," Shion mumbled.

"You guys don't even care about me at all, do you?" Hikaru whined and Shion glanced over just as Hikaru sneezed so hard that his legs gave out and he collapsed onto his butt.

"No. Not really," Shion said with a sigh.

"Stop pooping!" Misaki exclaimed at the three cats squatting over the three different litter boxes.

"If you yell at them right now, you're going to find feces in your shoes," Tsukasa warned, mid squat just as Hikaru got into a sneezing fit that left him sobbing with his head curled into his knees.

"That's it. I'm out of here," Hikaru said, standing up and rushing to the exit of the mansion. He slipped on his shoes before pausing. "Son of a bitch! I stepped in poopie!"

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Shion held up the drawing of Hikaru's face as he held up his shoes with smashed cat poo inside. The sketch had extra effort on the shading of the puffiness of Hikaru's eyes and the slight tears.

"Mission report complete sensei," Shion said proudly.

"For your information," Hikaru said with a frown and his arms crossed. "I wasn't crying."

"Yeah you were," Misaki replied, causing Hikaru's scowl to deepen.

"There's photo evidence," Shion held up the mission report with a grin.

"That's not even that accurate," Hikaru said, turning his head with a pout as he continued crossing his arms over his chest.

Tsukasa glanced up from the black book in her fingers that read the words 'Ninja Love 2'. It was a rather funny sigh to see their stoic sensei reading an obvious romance (and an erotic one at that), considering the woman was the most serious person Shion had ever met.

"It's accurate," Tsukasa said in a deadpan. "Right down to the snot dribbling down your chin, not to mention the tears."

"That was manly sweat," Hikaru exclaimed.

"I should read up on anatomy," Tsukasa said with a bored shrug. "I had no idea eye balls could sweat."

"I hate you all," Hikaru muttered as Shion giggled over the mission report.

"You stepped in cat poop," Misaki chuckled, forcing out another scowl from Hikaru.

"I don't think you should be laughing right now. I seem to recall a very recent incident with Itachi where you-"

Misaki jumped into action to interrupt, "I earnestly believe that we shouldn't make fun of Hikaru right now."

Shion had frozen from her giggling and was staring just as wide eyed as Tsukasa (minus one eye of course). "You little stalker," Shion whispered, just as Tsukasa stood up.

"Yep. This marks the end of the day for me. Bright and early tomorrow for training," the teacher informed them and they all straightened.

"Actual training? Like for realsies? An actual Jutsu?" Shion asked and Tsukasa's one visible eyebrow rose.

"Don't know yet. I'm a teacher, not a physic," Tsukasa disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"I will pay you 200 ryo if you don't turn in that mission report," Hikaru said after the teacher had left.

"What would I do with 200 ryo? I'm super content with my allowance," Shion informed him.

"400 ryo."

"I'm nine years old. What would I even do with all that money?"

"800 ryo."

"I don't think you're listening to me," Shion said, turning back towards the Hokage building to turn in the report.

Upon walking inside, she was greeted with the familiar sight of the long lines of ninja turning in their reports to Chuunin who briefly checked over Genin reports for accuracy. As she waited in line she played shogi in her head up until her imaginary opponent beat her. She let out a low "damn it," just as she reached the front of the line and turned in her report to Iruka.

He raised his brows up at her just before he opened the scroll and looked over her descriptive comic strip of Hikaru's eventful evening. "Shion, we've talked about this," he warned her.

"Words are boring, sensei," she said as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Everyone would rather look at pictures."

Iruka rubbed his temples and she noticed a severe lack of bags underneath his eyes. This made her lament over her laziness for her lack of the usual weekly activities of making animal noises in the walkie talkie connected to the matching one that she hid under his floorboards.

"A professional ninja must learn how to write a proper mission report," Iruka scolded, causing Shion to scowl as she crossed her arms.

"Ever heard the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words? I drew eight pictures. That's basically eight thousand words. You're welcome," she retorted with a quick burst of wit.

"There is a 2000 word maximum for a mission report, 8000 is too much," Iruka said, trying to be smart, but Shion grinned.

"Iruka-sensei, it's a picture not words," she informed him and he rubbed his temples and gave her a wave.

"It is not acceptable."

"Tsukasa-sensei says it's okay."

"Tsukasa is too young to know proper etiquette," Iruka informed the girl, earning a snort from behind Shion, forcing the child to turn her head to see Itachi walk up to the closest Chuunin and turn in his mission report. The Chuunin didn't even bother checking it because it was _Itachi_.

"She knows etiquette. She just doesn't care," Itachi said, and Shion's lips quirked into a smile.

"Itachi. How's the underwear?" Shion greeted, causing Itachi's brow to quirk up before he shook his head and turned around to walk away. Shion turned back to see Iruka giving her an incredulous glance. "I stole all his underwear."

"You know what." Iruka stamped the mission report and placed it in the basket. "It's fine. You can go."

"Yep," Shion turned around and began to skip out when she caught sight of Naruto being dragged by the arm from a Konoha shinobi with a very unhappy frown. Naruto, however, was grinning ear to ear with splotches of red paint splattered on his cheeks. His grin widened when he caught sight of Shion.

"We won't be forgiving the next time you vandalize. The Hokage monument is sacred keepsake of all that Konoha stands for," the ninja scolded and Shion felt slightly guilty that Naruto was getting all the blame for something they both had done.

"If it's so special then why is it a sport to see whose spit can reach the bottom first. Personally, I've found that if you stand of the Third Hokage's head, it takes approximately five seconds. You can probably still catch my friends who are currently trying to beat my record."

The Chuunin looked like he just heard something scandalous and immediately his back straightened. "I must inform the Hokage at once." He rushed back up the stairs and out of sight.

"Is that an actual game, dattebayo?" Naruto asked and Shion shrugged.

"I like to think it is. Wanna make it one?"

"Yeah! Anything to make the old man mad."

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"Damn, it takes eight seconds," Shion muttered as she stared down at the ground with a thin frown.

"How fast do you think it takes pee to reach the ground?"

"I don't actually want to know that, Naruto."

"Aww."

"I like to think it take approximately five seconds."


	6. The Happy Home

THE HAPPY HOME

Chapter Five

**IT WAS A NORMAL DAY WITH SHION CASUALLY SITTING WITH HER JUICE BOX'S** straw in between her lips while she read her book. It was of course, Ninja Love 3: Taehiro's demise and it only sucked a little. Not the book, as Taehiro was in her daydreams, but rather the bruise on her butt from being shoved into a rock during training. This made it very difficult to sit down on her favorite tree branch.

She turned a page while simultaneously a making rooster noise in her walkie talkie. She glanced up towards the window of Iruka's apartment, seeing his silhouette through the curtains as he scrambled to find the source of the sound.

Shion deemed that unlikely, unless he really was going to tear apart his floor boards in order to find the other walkie talkie. She doubted it though. Every once in a while she would sneak into his apartment while he was teaching at the academy, and she would change the batteries. That is the benefit of pranking a teacher; knowing their schedule.

"Shion," Shikamaru greeted from down below with a lazy shrug before he attempted to keep on walking. Shion however, perked up at the sight of the other boy before she jumped down next to him.

"Shikamaru, wanna play a game?" Shion asked and he sighed. "Before you say anything, be mindful: It's my birthday."

"Is it though?" Shikamaru was quick to question her, likely because he had been burned before. Still, the round of questioning caused her to let out a small grin that only made him sigh. 

"It could be. Come on, Shikamaru, you never want to play." She took a step forward and grabbed him by the shoulders. "It's my birthday, Shikamaru."

"If I recall, wasn't your birthday in August?" Shikamaru asked and she bit her bottom lip.

"Nah. I'm pretty sure it's today. It's always been in July," she said with a nod.

"You are so annoying," he muttered as she dragged him away. "What are you doing outside Iruka's apartment anyway? You looked like a creep."

"I'm not being creepy. I'm just watching him through his window while drinking a juice box..." Shion paused. "You know, in order to rectify that obviously creepy statement, I should tell you it was a prank."

"Are you still mad he tried to hold you back in the academy?" Shikamaru asked, still annoyed that Shion continued to drag him to some unknown destination. The girl looked back at him, her small pink curls bobbing over her shoulder.

"Of course not, that would be petty and childish," she said, lifting the walkie talkie and making making the noise of a cat meowing. Shikamaru decided not to ask what her prank was on the account of her making him take part in it, which would seriously suck. "I was the best student in the class. I excelled. I don't know what his problem is."

"Yeah, you're totally not mad," Shikamaru said, letting out a small sigh as she led him to the orphanage. "What game are we playing again?"

"I invented it myself. It's really quite fun," she said, turning around to face him with a large smile that now looked a little more evil. "It's called, 'help Shion-chan move out'."

"No," Shikamaru immediately attempted to walk away, but Shion had already gripped him by the collar of his shirt and began to drag him towards the orphanage entrance. "Let me go, Shion. I don't wanna."

"I bet you miss playing tag with me now, don't you?" Shion asked, her lips quirking into a larger grin as she dragged him to one of her dorms that she shared with four other girls. Shikamaru almost immediately noticed that it was a mess, with random clothes laid out on the ground. In contrast, there was one corner that nearly looked untouched with everything orderly and dust free. She lead him to that area and took out a box from under the bed.

"This sucks," Shikamaru said, watching as she piled in clothes into the box. He did notice how most of the clothes looked rather worn out, which wasn't something he ever took notice to before. Even the clothes she wore currently had a very old look about them. All her stuff didn't look half as nice as the items his mother had purchased for him.

"Lighten up, Shikamaru," she said with an ever present smile as she placed her neatly folded clothes into the box. "It's not like I have much stuff."

"Then why did you need my help?" he asked with a sigh as she placed the box into his arms before she began to fill another with her blankets.

"Cause we're friends. This is what friends do," she said, and he immediately felt like banging his head against a wall. He knew he should have just stayed in bed. That's the last time he decided to wake up when his mother wanted.

As she lifted the last box, he noticed that she had even less stuff than he thought. "Wait, are you allowed to take the blankets?" Shikamaru asked as she began to quickly walk out of the dorm.

"Of course," she said with a chuckle, but he was struggling to keep his pace.

"They why are you rushing?" His was question wasn't answered as she waved goodbye to the grumpy looking woman behind the front desk of the orphanage.

"Life is short, Shikamaru. I don't want to get left behind," she exclaimed from behind her as they left the building. The moment he was out of there, he noticed that the weird feeling of being trapped had begun to dissipate and he began to wonder how anyone could stand living in that place.

"Okay, you just avoided the question. Did I or did I not just help you steal?" he asked and she laughed.

"Don't be suck a buzz kill. This is a happy day," she said.

He supposed that it was, but he still said, "I don't want to play anymore games with you."

By the time she got to her new apartment, Shikamaru took notice to the fact that it was completely empty, no beds or furniture. Shion set the box down and took out a blanket. Moments later she laid it on the ground along with a pillow.

"Is that where you are going to sleep?" Shikamaru asked, setting down the box. Shion didn't look worried as she took out a small picture frame and put it on the window seal.

"I know. It's pretty cool, right? My own place, all to myself," she ran into the bathroom, her lips pulled into a wide grin. "My own bathroom. It's clean, no globs of hair. Isn't it great?"

"Yeah," he replied, unenthusiastically.

"I know what you're thinking," she said, watching as he slouched with a lazy sigh with his hands in his pockets.

"I don't think you do."

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"Shion, I wanna go home," Shikamaru muttered from underneath their makeshift fort. Shion, in reply, lifted her head and pouted.

"Shikamaru, it's my birthday," she told him.

"Yeah, I don't think it is," he said, lying his head down with a sigh. Shion opened her mouth to retort when the pounding on the door made her pause.

"Spoilsport," she muttered as she stood up and got out of the fort to open the door, revealing two very flustered and angry teammates.

"I hate you, Shion," Misaki said, and Hikaru wiped a bit of sweat from his brow with a nod. In response, Shion let out a low whistle as she leaned against the open door.

"Wow. The greetings are really going downhill these days. You know, back in my day, we said hello," Shion replied, making both her teammates frown.

"First of all, we are older than you, for the last fucking time," Misaki said and Shion frowned.

"Only in human age. In dog years, I am a mature and sophisticated old man," Shion said.

"That doesn't eve-" Misaki began to lose her composure, so Hikaru placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"We are getting off topic. Can't you see that's what it wants?" Hikaru said, making Shion gasp.

"'It'? That is so rude. Goodbye." Shion went to close the door but both of her teammates blocked it.

"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru said from inside the fort before he laid down and began to sleep.

"There's a boy in your house," Misaki gasped, and Hikaru shook his head.

"We're getting off topic," he said, while Shion sighed.

"But there's a boy in her house. All alone, under a blanket," Misaki said.

"I'm ten years old," Shion reminded them. "Man, you guys are ruining my birthday."

"You said it was your birthday last week. That's why we bought you cake," Misaki said with a slowly forming frown.

"Shit. I don't even like cake," Shion muttered in reply.

"You are good at diverging from our purpose, Shion whatever-your-last-name-is," Hikaru told her, causing Shion's brows to raise.

"I'm not doing anything. You two are just stupid," Shion said. "Also, it was Kurama Shion, for your information."

"You weren't at training today so Tsukasa-sensei made us run for three hours," Misaki shouted whilst pointing at the unsuspecting ten year old.

"And then we had to look for you, and guess what, you apparently moved out of the orphanage so we didn't know where the fuck to go. We knew we couldn't go back to Tsukasa otherwise she would make us run more laps," Hikaru began to take off his shoes. "I have blisters, Shion, blisters. Hyuugas don't get blisters, you bitch."

"So we had to go all the way to the Hokage tower just to figure out where you moved," Misaki's legs collapsed. "Why do you hate us?"

"Wow. Sounds like you two got yourself into quite the pickle," Shion replied, and Misaki leapt up to attack her, but Hikaru held her back by her waist.

"Misaki, calm down. Shion can kick your ass," Hikaru warned, causing Shion's eyebrow to raise.

"I can kick your ass too, Hikaru," she told him, and his eyes narrowed.

"Just come to practice, Shion. Tsukasa is pissed and she's about to take away our first actual mission," Hikaru said, watching as Shion's cheeks filled with air.

"Fine. Jeez, you two are such drama queens," Shion said, her lips curling into a grin, walking past the two after strapping on her ninja belt. She closed the door behind her, leaving Shikamaru sleeping in her fort/bed.

"I hate her," Misaki whispered while Hikaru gave her a sympathetic nod as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Me too."

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"Ohh, a C-rank mission. What is it?" Shion said in an excited tone of voice after she had gotten done running her punishment laps that only took an hour and a half. This was mostly because she was much faster than her teammates thanks to playing tag and actually training in her free time, instead of going shopping like Hikaru, or in Misaki's case, eating noodles with friends.

It helped that Shion's only friend was Shikamaru, and she supposed Naruto even if the boy was still as annoying as ever.

"It's a hunting mission," Tsukasa replied, and Shion pouted. "We have to find a specific root in the Forest of Death."

"Oh...why?" Shion asked, twirling a strand of her pink hair around her finger as she glanced towards the mission scroll with a sigh.

"Because, being a ninja isn't always exciting or adventurous where you get to go on far away journeys to different countries," Tsukasa said with a bored shrug as they four continued to walk towards the forest that resided on the far side of the village. "Remember, this is job that you all signed up for."

"I hate the Forest of Death though," Shion whined, kicking the ground.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you've been in there," Tsukasa said with a sigh.

"It's a good hiding spot," Shion answered.

"But it's forbidden," Misaki replied.

"Which is what makes it a good hiding spot," came Shion's retort.

It was only once they were in the forest that things got a little bit more exciting. Especially when a giant tiger tried to eat Hikaru. While Shion rooted for the tiger and Misaki got scratched by the tiger, Tsukasa was forced to intervene. It took moments and one touch to the tiger's back to make the overgrown cat sink to the ground.

"I'm saved," Hikaru said, glancing towards his sensei with a relieved sigh. "I hate cats."

"We have the root. Let's just go," Tsukasa muttered.

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"And done," Shion said with a smile as she looked at her completed project of Hikaru crying on the mission report. Usually, this would be where he whined for her to tear it up, but instead, Hikaru looked spaced out into the distance.

"Hikaru, what's wrong with you?" Misaki asked and Hikaru sighed.

"Don't you think Tsukasa-sensei is pretty amazing," he said and Misaki's brows furrowed.

"That's weird," Shion tilted her head, waving her hand in front of Hikaru's face from her spot on the grass. Tsukasa had abandoned them not long after leaving the Forest of Death, so they currently hung out under a tree next to the Hokage tower. "You're weird."

"Oh my god, Shion, don't you know what this means?" Misaki said with a large forming grin as they started to walk inside the building to get in line and turn in the report.

"I don't actually care," Shion replied.

"Hikaru is crushing on Tsukasa-sensei," Misaki finished, not minding Shion's indifference.

"Wow...I still don't care."

"It's just hilarious right," Misaki laughed just a moment too long, causing Shion's brows to raise.

"I think the one with the crush is you, Misaki," Shion told her with no worry as to whether or not Hikaru could hear. The boy glanced towards Misaki as her face got red and her voice got high.

"What? No I don't. Shut up," she quickly snapped.

"Yeah. We are the best of friends and trust me, her eyes are only on Itachi..." he said as he gave Misaki a sly glance. "All night."

"Wow. I understand that I am sending mixed signals out of boredom, but I still don't care," Shion said, getting to the front of the line where Iruka sat, the bags apparent under his eyes. "Wow sensei, _rough_ night?" She put extra emphasis on the 'rough' hoping to make it innocently sound like a dog barking.

"If I see one picture, I swear I'm going to be pissed," Iruka told her and she grinned, handing him the mission report.

"Don't be silly Iruka, I listened very carefully to what you told me last time. I know I don't act like it, but I take your advice very seriously," she told him with a smile.

His eyes brightened as he opened the scroll, "That's good, Shion, I'm very proud of you-"

"I drew fifteen pictures," she pointed to the last one, her lips quirked into a grin. "See, there's me drawing this report at the end. Inception." Hikaru and Misaki placed their heads simultaneously in their palms in response.

"Just go home, Shion," Iruka begged, placing his head into his hands.

"I know. My artwork moves me to tears too. Bye bye sensei," Shion said with a tiny grin, walking out of the Hokage tower with Misaki and Hikaru in tow.

"Why do you purposefully try and make him mad?" Hikaru asked.

"Nah. I love Iruka-sensei," Shion answered with a smile as she walked out towards where Tsukasa waited for them. By the time they got to the training grounds, they saw both her sensei and Uchiha Itachi, speaking to each other in hushed whispers with their faces quite close to one another.

"Ohh? Is that Tsukasa and Itachi sitting a tree?" Hikaru exclaimed.

"We're standing," Tsukasa replied, glancing over Itachi's shoulder. "I hate kids."

"No you don't," Itachi told her, causing her to snort as she walked past him.

"Okay, we have a mission tomorrow," she informed the team and they all glanced up with a frown, except for Hikaru who was staring at her intently.

"It's not hunting again, right? Cause I can only handle to sight of Hikaru crying so many times," Shion commented, causing Hikaru to raise his finger.

"I wasn't crying. There was dust in my eye and I'm allergic to pollen," Hikaru interjected with a proud shrug of his shoulders. "I never cry." He gave Tsukasa a slight glance as he took a step forward. "I am even going to be hitting a growth spurt soon. Being tall runs in my family you know."

If Tsukasa could tell that Hikaru was trying to impress her, she didn't react. Then again, Tsukasa had the composure of fake flowers (in that they were just as beautiful as normal ones, but they never broke apart and died).

"Yeah, okay then," Tsukasa clicked her tongue while Misaki snorted at Hikaru's lame attempt at flirting. "It's a B-ranked mission. Yay. Go team."

"How did we get a B-ranked mission?" Misaki asked with her brows furrowed.

"Obviously because I'm so strong that they finally took notice," Shion bragged with tiny grin. "Don't thank me, I already know how great I am."

"Shion, you are not as great as you think you are," Misaki informed her and Shion made a 'V' shape under her chin with her fingers as she began to laugh.

"Great, Misaki. You let her loose, now she's going to be annoying all day," Hikaru said with a sigh.

"You're right, I'm probably better," Shion said, raising her hands and creating a quick barrage of clones and they all just began listing things that she could do that Misaki and Hikaru could not.

"Great," Tsukasa muttered with an unenthusiastic sigh while Itachi watched the display with an air of indifference.

"For her age, she's not horrible," he said before walking off, causing Tsukasa's eyes to narrow on the boy.

"Not horrible?" Shion contemplated this before nodding. "Itachi Uchiha says I'm 'not horrible'." She pointed to Misaki with a grin. "Take that loser."

"This is going to be my entire day...isn't it?" Tsukasa contemplated with a loud sigh. "I am so done with children."

"If you want, sensei, we can have a training session together in order to get away from these children," Hikaru commented with a slight smile that was immediately shot down with Tsukasa's deadpan stare.

"Oh my God," Tsukasa muttered, turning around to walk away from everyone.

"Tsukasa-sensei, what about that A-ranked mission?" Shion exclaimed.

"It's B-ranked and I'm regretting it," Tsukasa replied with a swift sigh.

"Huh. Speaking of A-ranked, I really think I'm almost ready for one," Shion replied, much to her teammate's chagrin.

"Slightly ahead for her age and she thinks she's the strongest person in the world," Misaki commented, and Shion glanced her way with a smile. "You're not half as strong as you think you are."

"Just stop arguing. I know I said I don't care about teamwork, but seriously." Tsukasa rubbed her temples, raising her hand to silence them. "I don't care, but for the love of God, you three should. A B-ranked mission is not a joke and this is not a game. It's about time you realize that people die on these missions and you can look away for a second to find your friends are dead."

"I'm sorry sensei," Misaki said with a genuine look of shame, as she cast her gaze downward while Hikaru did the same. Shion however, had no idea of when to stop so she continued.

"Relax, Kasa-sensei. The world is too amazing to be so hung up on all that stress," Shion said, and both her teammates raised their heads as their eyes widened. Tsukasa, however, was still as the grave and her eyes were narrowed like a cobra about to attack.

"Tell me to chill one more time, Shion, and you will be scrubbing the floors of the academy just wishing you had less sass towards your ex-teacher," Tsukasa promised before her face turned back to being impassive. "Your missions to come are not a jokes. Luckily for you, your duty for this mission is just to watch the pros. I merely want you to shadow me, and you three are just tagging along to see how a real mission is going to be in order to prepare you."

"So what you're saying is that this mission wasn't assigned to us, but rather to you?" Misaki asked and the teacher nodded.

"Precisely. I, along with an old team of mine, will be carrying out the duties assigned. You three are just here to keep the fire warm and cook our meals."

"That's hella boring," Shion complained.

"That's life. It's about time you become less arrogant in your strengths and start training your weaknesses." Tsukasa turned to the three students with her hand propped on her hip. "Hikaru, your Kekkei Genkai has given you an excellent advantage that has gone to waste because of your severe lack in skill when it comes to Taijutsu. You have improved under my training regimen-"

"I only threw up once last night," he bragged.

"But it's not enough. You have no balance and no poise or grace," Tsukasa finished as if she was never interrupted before she turned towards Misaki. "Your medical prowess is good, if not excellent. Your control over Chakra is above your age bracket and medical ninjutsu is not easy. However, you can't back all your money on that. It is dangerous and makes you a liability to your team. You ned to work on some type of self defense, and judging by your Chakra control, you are more than capable of learning how to turn medical ninjutsu into a powerful weapon."

Tsukasa turned towards Shion who was currently standing proudly from next to her teammates. Misaki and Hikaru were ready for their teacher to knock the girl down a peg.

"Shion," Tsukasa sighed. "You talk too much. You're loud and abrasive. You have no idea the dangers that arrogance can bring you and I have seen it drive a good man, head first into the bottom of a cliff."

"Is that a metaphor?" Shion asked, but Tsukasa didn't answer.

"You are decent with Ninjutsu, but your attention to detail and your ability to deflect harm is much more suited for Genjutsu," Tsukasa explained. "And yet I see you put all your money into Taijutsu and I'm telling you again that your body isn't made for the strain. You need to train what you're naturally talented at doing, and yet you keep on trying to work training what you will likely never excel.

"Why do you three think I never push for the big missions? Do you think watching you dump trash is fun for me? I do it because you are children, way too eager to jump into a world without fully understanding what is outside those gates."

"And what is outside those gates?" Misaki asked while Tsukasa was already getting ready to ditch them. "What exactly is our mission?"

"A hideout of the Sannin traitor, Orochimaru has been discovered. We are tasked with clearing it out of any victims of his experiments," Tsukasa explained, while Shion frowned.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Hikaru commented.

"You have yet to see his experiments," Tsukasa told him. "Koneko was his experiment and look at her victims. Be on your guard and pack light for tomorrow morning: 5 am. If you're late, Shion, I _will_ send you back to the academy. I won't tolerate it any longer. Grow up. Life isn't a book that you can open and close any time you want."

Tsukasa disappeared in a barrage of leaves while Hikaru and Misaki scowled Shion's way.

"Good going, you got us yelled at," Misaki snapped, while Shion only stared her way.

"Me? You two are the ones at fault," Shion retorted causing both of her teammates to narrow their eyes.

"Us? Who is the one always late and making a ruckus because she thinks she is the best fighter in the world? Pretty big words considering we have never seen you in a real fight," Misaki argued.

"You're all talk Shion. It was a mistake to let a nine year old cut the line and become Genin," Hikaru agreed with a swift lash. Shion took both their insults without complaint before she decided to walk away.

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"Naruto!" Shion greeted as she peeked behind the wall of the orphanage. The blonde boy glanced up from his lonely swing set, setting his sights of the girl who now hid behind a rock.

"Oh its you," Naruto muttered without looking up again, causing Shion tilt her head as she ducked behind the rock when the orphanage head lady walked past the garden.

"Yeah it's me. Who did you think it was?" she asked, dashing over to the tree that supported Naruto's swing before pressing Chakra into her feet and walking up so she could sit on one of the thicker branches and allow the leaves to block her figure.

"I'm not talking to you," he said with a pout, turning his head away.

Shion was officially confused, causing her to lean down so she could look at him. "What crawled up your butt, Naruto-kun?" Shion asked with furrowed brows as she used her hands to stop his swing by sending Chakra down the rope.

"Nothing, dattebayo," he grumbled in return.

Shion's eyes narrowed in confusion as her brows furrowed together. "Is this cause I ate all the snack boxes last week because I didn't know you wanted those." She let out a 'aha' sound as she rose a finger, but Naruto didn't so much as look her way. "You don't have to be mad about that. No one will take all the snack boxes cause I moved out. There. Solved."

After Shion's comment, Naruto grumbled something before he stormed off. This left Shion even more confused than before so she furrowed her brows as she jumped down from the tree and towards the window of the girl's dorms. She opened it nonchalantly and stole four pillows from the girls who were always mean before she calmly walked out of the orphanage.

No one questioned why a ten year old girl was walking with four pillows in the middle of the roads of Konoha. She contemplated why Naruto would be mad at her and him being angry at her made her upset with him. When she got home and added the pillows to her fort, she felt a moment of depression.

She supposed most friendships just don't last when you're a ninja anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so refreshing to write Shion since Anomie and Tsukasa (my current other stories) kind of bum me out.
> 
> I slipped a small detail in that Shion is in fact ten years old now. She wasn't lying. That really was her birthday. She was born on July 23nd and is a Leo. These folks are impossible to miss, since they love being center stage. Making an impression is Job One for Leos, and when you consider their personal magnetism, you see the job is quite easy. Leos are an ambitious lot, and their strength of purpose allows them to accomplish a great deal. The fact that these folks are also creative makes their endeavors fun for them and everyone else.
> 
> Anyway, thank you all for reading!


	7. Learning to Fly

LEARNING TO FLY

Chapter Six

**WHEN SHION WAS YOUNGER, SHE THOUGHT SHE WOULD BECOME A SHINOBI** and then everything wrong in her life would fix itself as if brought together by magic. She thought that all Shinobi were good and true and not at all capable of evil actions. _Orochimaru was a monster._ That was not something Shion ever thought she could feel about somebody, and she never could have guessed she would feel this way a couple days prior.

Only three days ago, the mission was not so different from a standard D-rank. It had Misaki and Hikaru babbling like teenagers on a camping trip, Hikaru complaining about his feet hurting, Misaki telling him he should have worn flats, and Tsukasa telling them both to shut the hell up.

The main difference was there were two more people in the party. Itachi Uchiha, much to Misaki's delight, and a woman by the name of Anko Mitarashi, who actually freaked Shion out a bit. Tsukasa said she was there because Anko was a skillful tracker, but Hikaru joked that he'd rather wander about lost since she was so creepy.

It was one of the only things Shion and Hikaru both agreed upon.

"So, Itachi," Misaki said, sitting down next to where Itachi currently sharpened his blade.

Tsukasa's eye swept upon the both of them and she grimaced as if she was personally embarrassed by Misaki's attempt at flirting. Tsukasa was about to stand and walk away, but Hikaru cornered her.

"I was thinking sensei," Hikaru commented and Shion watched the display of attempted flirting from both her teammates with a sketch pad in her hand. She began to draw Hikaru getting punched in the eye by their one-eyed sensei. "We should have a one on one training session. Just you, me, and Taijutsu. I assure you, Tsukasa-sensei, I've been working on my evading tactics. I can dodge anything now."

Tsukasa nodded her head, before she stood up with pursed lips. In moments she punched Hikaru in the same eye that Shion drew in her picture. Hikaru collapsed to the ground. "Dodge that." She walked over Hikaru's slumped over body with a shrug. "Are you sure you've been practicing? I was giving out all the signals that I was about to punch you."

"Ow," Hikaru muttered, as he clutched his eye while Shion showed him her sketch of him getting punched.

"I was thinking of having it framed, titled 'Things Hikaru Hyūga cannot do: dodge or flirt'," Shion told him and he grimaced.

"Shut up, Shion," he muttered as Misaki rushed from Hikaru's side and began to heal his eye.

"Where did I go wrong, Misaki?" Hikaru asked and she sighed.

"For starters, she's older than you and our sensei," Misaki told him and he sighed.

"I should just practice flirting on Shion then," Hikaru said, causing Shion to snort at the ridiculous statement.

"Just watch. We will both get our love interests. Itachi is slowly falling for my advances," Misaki said, ignoring Itachi's sigh from behind her.

"Don't think they realize you two can hear them," Shion chimed their way with a grin.

"Gotta admire how they don't care," Tsukasa muttered, turning towards Itachi. "Where's Anko? How long does it take to collect firewood?"

"She's probably not going to come back with any, so I will go find it," Itachi announced, causing Misaki to stand.

"I could go too," she said, watching the deadpan of Itachi's face.

"Oh my God," Tsukasa muttered, turning around to go back over her mission reports.

"I really can go alone. It's not a two man job," Itachi told her, turning around to walk away.

"Luckily I'm a woman," Misaki said, rushing to catch up to him before Tsukasa grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and shoved her back.

"This is a mission. Not a date," Tsukasa told her.

"Why were you pushing to go with him?" Shion asked, and Misaki frowned as if Shion just missed so grand point.

"Think about it Shion. Itachi, all alone in the woods," Misaki said, causing Shion's brows to furrow.

"You are starting to sound like a rapist, Misaki," said Shion.

Tsukasa glanced up, her brows furrowed from the documents. "Can you three shut up and actually take in account certain things three Jounin do during missions."

"That's so boring, sensei. All you three do is sit there being boring. I want to fight," Shion complained, as she plopped down on her sleeping bag and watched Tsukasa's temper flare.

"Look again. Everything we have done is for the mission. Itachi has helped me make fourteen different battle strategies should we run into an encounter. We have gone over prior mission reports and intel documents over and over until we can recite it. He has triple checked his weapons to make sure they are up to standard."

"What about Anko?" Shion asked and Tsukasa tilted her head.

"Whatever Anko is doing right now, I can assure you it is for the good of the mission," Tsukasa answered just as Anko walked through the thicket of leaves into the clearing where they laid camp.

"Man I had to take a major piss. Did you know there is a hot spring up ahead," Anko said with a yawn as she stretched out her arms over her head.

"Hmm," Shion murmured out as she stared at the Jounin ahead of her. "Can I shadow her, sensei?"

"No. No you cannot," Tsukasa answered back, her monotone coming out in full force as her eyes glazed over documents.

"Still such a stick in the mud, Tsu-Tsu," Anko teased while Shion saw her sensei's fingers dig into the papers before she glanced up.

"I'm cautious. There's a difference." Tsukasa returned with a monotonous retort as she flipped through the pages one last time just as Itachi returned with an arm full of firewood.

"Why do we have to gather firewood? I thought that the mundane chores were for the Genin to perform," Anko said as she watched Itachi plop the wood onto the ground next to the fire.

"You haven't gathered anything this entire journey. I'm about to make you perform every last chore I can think of, you arrogant piece of-" Tsukasa began to snap, but Itachi interrupted.

"That's enough," he said and Tsukasa tilted her head with a sigh, the dark Chakra that had begun to gather around her missing eye retreated until Tsukasa looked as normal as ever.

Tsukasa nodded her head towards Itachi as a sign of gratitude, however, Anko didn't take up the hint and continued her taunt. "Man, I would have packed more tampons if I knew you were going to PMS this much."

Tsukasa stood up, looking ready for a fight before Itachi threw her over his shoulder and took her under the cover of the trees until they both were no longer visible. Shion let out a whistle as she stood up and stretched, setting her sketch pad on the ground.

"So, Anko," Shion said, causing the nonchalant woman in revealing clothes to glance up.

"Hmm? You dropped honorifics rather quickly," Anko said with a raised brow.

"I was wondering about that mark on your neck," Shion said, catching the attention of both Hikaru and Misaki who glanced up to see the mark. Anko was faster than them and she covered it with her jacket.

"What about it?" Anko tossed a piece of wood into the fires, and watched as the flames licked at the outside bark.

"It's a conversation starter," Shion said as she took a step closer so she could sit on the bolder that Tsukasa had dragged near the fire. Her one-eyed sensei would likely be angry to see her spot occupied but Shion didn't mind that. "Also, its kind of weird looking. Is it a sealing Jutsu?"

"Curtesy of Orochimaru." Anko glanced towards the child with a frown. "I was around Tsu-Tsu's age when I received it. Pleased to say it did not do me good in receiving any trust when Orochimaru turned into a traitor and had his trained dog murder a fraction of the Uchiha clan."

"Can you tell me about Orochimaru. I mean, we have learned all about his base and his usual attack points but nothing about him," Shion was oddly serious and Misaki and Hikaru didn't have any way in breaking up the conversation. "Sensei leaves out a lot of those little details."

Anko chuckled, but she didn't sound very humorous. "She's still a kid too, even if she doesn't want people to know. Getting this far and becoming a Jounin sensei is one of the most difficult things to do. She's worked hard. Maybe that's why she's dragging you three on this mission."

"Why is that?" Hikaru asked from next to the fire.

Anko fixed her hair into a pony tail while her bangs swept above her eyes. She took a moment to consider her next words before she glanced at the boy. "Orochimaru's experiments will be a wake up call to the ninja life. You wanted to know what he's like and I will tell you. He isn't necessarily evil. But he's greedy and willing to do whatever it takes to further his goals. He sweeps people aside like bugs." Anko explained, just as Tsukasa and Itachi walked back into the opening of the trees. "What's up Tsu-Tsu? So you didn't need those tampons after all?"

Itachi gave Tsukasa a look but the woman's face had already became monotonous. "I managed. Shion if you don't get off my rock then you will take its place."

Shion had always felt Tsukasa was impressive, but she had never really put much thought into what the woman had to do to get so far in her career when she wasn't even 16 years old. Perhaps she'd get one step closer to understanding the world her father died for under this woman's tutelage.

"Tsukasa-sensei," Shion announced, standing up and walking over to her teacher. "I would like to learn Genjutsu."

"Genjutsu from me?" Tsukasa and Itachi shared a look to which he responded with a shake of his head back and forth. "The best man for that job is you, Itachi. I do believe you just said that you finished all your reports and had nothing to do."

"I do believe you just made that up," Itachi said with a sigh, but it was too late and Shion was standing in front of him with misty eyes.

"I would be honored to become your student," she said with a formal bow, causing Tsukasa to snort.

"Oh hell no," Misaki said, standing up, but was held back by Hikaru. "That's not fair. I wanna be trained by Itachi."

"You don't even like Genjutsu, Misaki," Hikaru commented and she sighed.

"It's not about the training, Hikaru, you innocent child," Misaki whispered to him.

"Hikaru and Misaki, I am a proper teacher for you two," Tsukasa said with a one-eyed blink. "I am more than qualified to teach you _both_ medical Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Please keep in mind, Misaki, that we are here to get stronger, not to flirt."

Misaki's face inflamed red and she glanced down with a small sign of shame.

"Anko, I would like you to scout ahead and get the exact location of this base. I want all the details you can gather," Tsukasa told the woman, and Shion found it weird to see a girl nearly a decade younger give orders.

"Sure. Whatever," Anko said with a shrug and in moments the purple haired woman disappeared.

Itachi was still massaging his temples by the time Shion looked at him again. "I'm a great student. I promise. I really am," Shion informed him and watched as Itachi glanced towards Tsukasa who shrugged and slightly nodded.

Tsukasa didn't audibly agree in fear of inflating the girl's already giant ego. It was enough and Itachi let out a defeated sigh. "She's not wrong," Tsukasa told him with a slow glance towards Shion, careful not to stroke the girl's ego. While lack of punctuality and backtalk were on Shion's list of bad qualities, even Tsukasa had to admit that when it came to learning and most of all, understanding new techniques were Shion's strong suit. 

"Have you ever studied Genjutsu?" Itachi asked, removing his hand from his face.

Shion looked slightly sheepish as she glanced down. "Not formally. You see...Taehiro-kun is a master in Genjutsu."

"Taehiro?" Itachi and Tsukasa shared a look and the woman slightly shrugged, but looked slightly embarrassed for her student.

"He's from Tsukasa-sensei's erotic novel," Shion answered with a helpful smile.

Tsukasa closed her eye and took a deep breath.

●▬▬▬Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ▬▬▬●

"Itachi," Shion whined while she plopped on the ground next to her favorite tree. "How are you not exhausted? My eyes hurt. Genjutsu sucks."

"You get used to it," he told her as he sat down near her. "But you are getting better."

"Do you think I'm too arrogant?" Shion asked and he glanced over to her with an eyebrow raised.

"I think that arrogant facade is a mask. You only use it after someone comments about your age," he said and Shion stood up.

"It used to be so normal for kids my age to be on Genin teams. Everyone looks at me like I'm a child who doesn't know what she's talking about."

Itachi blinked, leaning back against the tree and looking up at her. "That was before the war. Many kids died before ever reaching Chuunin."

"You didn't. Tsukasa-sensei didn't," Shion informed him. "Misaki and Hikaru are always badgering me about my age."

"Are you trying to prove something to them?" Itachi asked and Shion dropped down to her knees so they could be eye level.

"I just want them to know that I can do this. I've read all the books. I've studied. I train everyday until it hurts. So continue teaching me. I promise I'll never be late for any of our training sessions. I'll be your best student." Shion usually didn't beg and let the chips fall wherever they landed in times of strife, but she had a feeling that her way of dealing with training wouldn't fly with Itachi or Tsukasa.

"My little brother would not be happy about me taking up a student," he told her and she blinked, as she remembered Sasuke's beady eyes staring up at her when she broke into Itachi's house to steal his underwear.

"Your little brother is hella clingy," she said and Itachi slightly smiled in a way only an older brother could. "But if he can keep up, I don't see the problem if he joins."

"No. It's best if Sasuke is a kid for a bit longer," Itachi said, as he stood up while Shion's neck craned to look at him, her butt planted against her heels as she sat.

"So you will train me officially in Genjutsu?" Shion asked and Itachi shrugged.

"When I have time to spare," he agreed, while he watched as the girl's lips spread into a smile. "But I would like to know something." Shion nodded her head for him to continue. "Why do you want to become a ninja?"

Shion had no family or many friends, so she had never been asked that question. However, that didn't mean she had no answer. "I want to fight all the bad guys and make this world a safer place."

"That's a lot of ambition for a Genin," he said and her lips spread into a wider smile.

"Well, why are you a ninja?" Shion asked, and noticed that Itachi's eyes weren't monotone or boring like she first thought. He was actually very gentle.

"I suppose my motives are just as ambitious as yours," he slightly smiled as he glanced down at her. "I want to be Hokage."

Her lips stretched into a grin. "I'd vote for you in a heartbeat, Itachi. If you become Hokage, then I'll be in Anbu and I will protect you and this village."

"I suppose you have to get much stronger then, now that you have a tangible goal," he said and Shion nodded her head.

"Let's start training again, Itachi-sensei," she said as she jumped to her feet, recharged.

His smile disappeared, "best not call me sensei in front of Tsukasa."

An amused and slightly evil twinkle darted into Shion's eyes.

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"Misaki, Hikaru, Shion." Tsukasa's face was alert when she said their names. It had been nearly an hour since Itachi and Anko had entered the base. Shion itched to go in and see what the fuss was about, but she held down that urge as she glanced towards her sensei. "I need you three to remember all that I taught you. Be swift, calm, and quiet."

Tsukasa moved her hand into a couple swift signs and in moments the earth from underneath their feet had begun to slightly rumble. Before it spread apart from underneath them.

"Earth Tunnel no Jutsu," Tsukasa whispered with a wince as the ground spread apart and a strange killing intent spread over her body. "Go down, follow the tunnel. Be very quiet. You'd be surprised the noise that travels above when you are underground."

"What will you be doing?" Hikaru asked as Shion already began to climb into the opening of Tsukasa's Jutsu.

"Don't be alarmed," Tsukasa's voice was clipped, and her eye darted to the side as a weird sense of foreboding tickled Shion's senses. "Now's the time you go ahead children. Shion," Tsukasa's eye narrowed on the girl just as Hikaru and Misaki crowded down the dirt staircase alongside her. The opening began to close. "Don't tell Itachi about this."

"About what?" Shion asked just as the opening sealed, but she caught the last glance as Tsukasa dodged a well timed attack. 

And then the three Genin were surrounded by darkness, but they heard the aftermath of whatever battle rang on ahead. "What about sensei?" Hikaru asked, and although Shion could not see him, she heard the tremble in his voice.

"We're Genin. We can't do anything," Shion answered, feeling the wall as she moved along the path that her sensei had set out for her. "We follow her orders and continue."

"We don't even know where Itachi or Anko are exactly," Misaki told her teammate who had began to walk forward into the darkness. 

"Nothing else to do but move forward," Shion answered while her lips quirked into a small smile. She was thankful for the darkness, as it covered the fact that she was afraid. 

"Not very helpful, are you Shion?" Hikaru muttered.

"Shut up and walk. Be silent. Remember what Tsukasa-sensei told us," Shion ordered.

"I'm scared," Misaki murmured in the darkness.

"I'll protect you both," Shion promised, and it was perhaps the most cool she ever sounded to her teammates. 


	8. Crocodiles and Monsters

CROCODILES AND MONSTERS

Chapter Seven

**IN THE DARK WITH HER HANDS CUPPING THE WALLS OF THE TUNNEL, SHION FELT** a moment of apprehension when she heard the sound of footsteps above her. She glanced towards her two teammates with a silent hope for them to be silent as the footstep faded into the distance. For a moment, it almost seemed like the tunnel would never stop, but just as she began to feel impatient, she stumbled onto a dead end.

Once more, she cupped the dirt, feeling for some kind of exit, but all she found was more dirt. From her position at the end, she felt Misaki bump into her back, earning a light and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Shion lifted her hand, having to stand on her tippy toes just to brush her fingertips against the ceiling of dirt and cement. It was sturdy and Shion earnestly did not know enough Jutsu to break it. She turned her head where she knew Hikaru was and gripped his shirt to pull him forward. He stumbled with a whispered curse as Shion raised to her tippy toes once more to whisper into his ear.

"Give me a boost," she ordered, but she didn't wait for his compliance as she shoved him to his hands and knees and stepped on his back.

She built up Chakra into her fist and slammed it into the ceiling, causing dirt and debris to splatter into her face. She made sure to close her eyes before she made any impact, however her teammates had no such luck as they coughed up their lungs in attempts to cancel out the dirt flying into their mouths.

"Shion, what the hell," Misaki complained in between coughs. Shion continued to use Hikaru as a boost as she climbed into the main hallway that had been above them. Her shoes made a mark of dirt on Hikaru's shirt and he let out a hiss.

"What is your problem?" Hikaru asked after all three climbed out of the hole.

"I said I need a boost," Shion responded, uncertain as to why he was so pissy.

"And did I get a say? No you just do things on your own like you always do," he told her with a scowl.

"I'm sorry." He almost missed the sarcasm in her voice. In the meantime, Misaki attempted to calm both of them down. "Next time, I'll be sure to write you a letter formatting what I am going to do. Maybe I'll do that in fight. You will see me writing 'Shion will dodge' before every attack, that way you remain appropriately ready for anything."

"This smart ass nature of yours is why we always get yelled at," Hikaru retorted, and Misaki tried to shush them both.

"This isn't me being a smart ass. This is you being an eternal moron," she replied just as fiercely.

"I am not a moron," he told her.

"No. You're right. Misaki is a moron, and you are so much worse," Shion took a step forward, her eyes narrowing,

"Hey," Misaki's eyes narrowed on her pink haired teammate with a scowl forming on the usual pucker of her lips.

"Of course, you just have to put everyone down, now don't you? Why don't you just get off that high horse of yours and see that you're not as great as you think you are," Hikaru snapped and before Shion could reply, she heard the slight sound of rope moving against the ground.

She jumped forward, tossing Misaki and Hikaru to the side so they landed back into the dark tunnel underneath the ground as she dodged the five kunai headed her way.

"What's this? A cockroach crawling out from burrows under the ground?" The voice that spoke was enough to nearly make Shion shiver. It was spoken in a slither that she felt as if it caressed her skin.

"Well." Shion stood up straight, biting her lip as she glanced down to Hikaru and Misaki who had fallen back into the tunnel. "Looks like I am finally getting that fight that I wanted."

It was her chance to prove herself, and Shion refused to waste it as she darted forward, applying Chakra into her feet as she leapt behind the enemy, tossing kunai all the while. The woman only took calm steps forward, almost looking like it was a dance as she dodged all of them.

Shion leapt from the wall with a well timed strike towards the woman. Instead of how it went down in Shion's mind, the woman turned so fast that she barely had a moment to process the hands that curled around Shion's wrists. They tightened and she felt the steel like grip pulsate throughout her bones.

The woman leaned in close, pulling Shion forward. "My name is Kazehaya Mineko, and my poisons are absolute. You are completely out of your league child."

As the woman spoke, Shion felt her skin begin to burn underneath Mineko's grasp until she began to wonder if her skin would bubble from the pressure. Shion leaned her head back, gathering Chakra into her skull before she bucked her head forward, slamming it into Mineko's unaware face.

"Poopie," Shion cursed, her hand cupping her forehead. Even though she had gathered her Chakra to attempt to lessen the blow, it still throbbed. "That is not how I thought it would feel based on my books."

"You little bitch." Mineko was less than amused and her vibrant green eyes lit with fury.

Whatever calm the woman had promptly disappeared and her body bolted forward so fast Shion barely had enough time to dodge it. She thought this was rather funny, considering she backed all her time on perfecting Taijutsu only to be humiliated at the end of this battle.

Shion's eyes narrowed, pushing her entire body into her dodge before she slammed her leg into Mineko's stomach. She used her Chakra to add precision and strength behind the childish muscles and bones beneath the surface. For a moment, the enemy ninja looked winded but the flare of anger in her eyes lit once more and she leaned forward, grabbing the child by her neck.

"I should warn you, my lips are poison. Back in my youth, I used them to narrowly murder the traitor dog, Koneko Anomie. Since then I have improved the recipe and unlike before, this one has no cure."

Shion felt a moment of danger creep into her spine, and for a moment the oddest image of a black haired girl covered in IVs, staring out the window from her hospital bed just crept into her mind without warning. She saw it as if it were right in front of her, as real as Mineko was right now. She felt the clammy hands and even the small trickle of sunlight from the window to her left.

By the time she came through, Mineko's poison lips had already neared hers but before they could connect, she saw Hikaru and Misaki jump to attack Mineko's unprotected sides. This forced her to drop Shion, who collapsed, coughing into the ground.

"Never took you to give up, Shion. What about your dream of being the best Shinobi in existence?" Hikaru asked while Shion gave him a look of surprise.

"That's not my dream," Shion whispered, standing up as she attempted to get into the correct stance with as much grace as she could muster. Her throat still burned with the mark of Mineko's fingers, but Shion ignored it as her two teammates took a protective stance in front of her.

"We won't have any dreams if we don't work together from here on out," Misaki warned the two, forcing Shion to let out a reluctant nod of her head.

"Perhaps you're right," Shion murmured in a low tone of voice, putting her pride behind her as she turned towards her teammates. Her voice shook at first, but the more she spoke, the clearer her words became. "Hikaru, activate your Byakugan and use the pressure points Tsukasa-sensei taught us. Misaki, defend Hikaru's blindspot."

"And what about you?" Misaki asked, watching Mineko began to advance closer. The older woman's eyes were coy, mocking, and all together arrogant. Shion made a silent vow to wipe that spur of self-confidence away from existence.

"I'll do what I do best," Shion answered.

"What's that? Being annoying?" Hikaru asked, the veins around his eyes bulging as he took a step forward.

"Very annoying," Shion agreed, holding up her hands and making a quick clone Jutsu, leaping forward after Hikaru's every hit. She flanked left every time she moved to go right, and she was slowly able to see the chips in Mineko's defense as their team moved as one unit.

Hikaru was the eyes, Misaki the body, while Shion was the hands.

Mineko's big words were surrounded by poison. It was her talent and the team gave her no chance to use it as Taijutsu had never been the poison master's strong point. With that in mind, the woman leapt back and took out fistfuls of senbon needles. Shion's eyes narrowed, her reflexes just barely fast enough to dodge them. By the way Hikaru's eyes widened, she could tell that he could see them clearly as they flew towards him, but his reflexes were slow. Misaki was worse off, and Shion felt a moment of panic fill the crevices of her heart.

It wasn't enough.

"Retreat back," Shion ordered, and for a moment she thought her teammates weren't going to listen, but they quickly jumped back. This allowed Shion to block the rest of the never-ending barrage of poisoned senbon.

"What happened to all that confidence?" Mineko asked, taking a step forward. The way her eyes lit up with arrogance as her fingers curled around senbon needles with accurate grace made Shion nervous.

At this rate, they wouldn't win. Hikaru's eyes could only see the attacks but his body was not yet quick enough to dodge them. In the meantime, Misaki could perhaps dodge them, but her sight was too weak to see the needles, let alone hear them coming like Shion could.

Shion didn't have long to access what her teammates could and could not do, but she attempted to reorganize her strategy. After she ultimately decided what must be done, she spared a glance at her teammates and back towards the narrow hallway that made any further retreat impossible.

She faced an enemy who was faster and stronger. "Hikaru, Misaki...I can't do this. You're on your own."

"Wait...what?" Hikaru asked in surprise as he watched his usually arrogant teammate's legs begin to shake as she collapsed to the ground. The girl's hands trembled as she glanced up with her wide brown eyed stare that looked a tad more crazed.

"I'm only ten years old. I'm not ready to be a ninja. You were right," she whispered, causing the enemy ninja to laugh.

"Now isn't the time for a mental breakdown, Shion," Misaki exclaimed, the panic seeping into her gaze. "Get up and fight."

"I can't," Shion told her while Hikaru and Misaki's eyes connected with slight panic.

That was until Hikaru pulled the child up by the scruff of her collar, nearly yanking her feet up off the ground. "After all that talk? All those speeches? I was crazy to think you might be more than just a child, even for a minute!"

Hikaru and Misaki charged forward towards the amused Mineko, their attacks predictable and easy to avoid. Mineko swiped them aside with ease, and just as she raised her palm to deal the finishing blow, a small kunai pierced the supple skin of her back and twisted up.

Hikaru and Misaki stared with shock at the hands of Shion, the little girl who was sobbing only minutes prior, now held the enemy ninja in her clutches. The dirt tunnel from underneath proved as an effective trap as the Shion that had been sobbing before disappeared in a cloud of smoke. As the clone dissolved, in its absence revealed a small hole in the ground where the girl had escaped through, only to spring up from the ground behind Mineko.

"What happened to all that confidence?" Shion asked, twisting the blade as Mineko gurgled out blood before collapsing on the ground in front of them.

Hikaru and Misaki stood, as if to ask what happened, perhaps they planned on lecturing the child too. This never came to pass as the kunai fell from Shion's trembling grip, clattering to the ground with an echo and a thud.

Shion's hands shook. She noticed the blood that coated her fingers with calm certainty. Only a month prior, they had been covered in red paint as she vandalized the Hokage statues. Only a month ago she never knew the sounds someone would make right before they died. It was messy and blood spurt out as if she had just popped a water balloon. She saw it remained underneath her nails.

 _It must be freezing down here,_ Shion thought with a glance towards the dead woman at her feet. "That would explain why I can't stop shivering."

"Shion," Misaki's voice broke through the girl's frigid state of quiet panic. Misaki took a step forward, causing Shion to retreat back, her foot stumbling into the hole she had dug to spring out and end someone's life.

She killed someone. She did that.

"She's in shock." Hikaru took a step forward, kneeling down and offering his hand towards her as if she were a dog. "Shion, do you hear me?"

"She's in shock. Not deaf," Misaki snapped and Hikaru scowled up at her.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Hikaru's annoyed voice broke through the calm tone he was trying to install into his frightened teammate.

"We have to get her mind off of it," Misaki answered, but the girl obviously had no idea how to do that, so she settled for grabbing Shion's hands instead as the child began to hyperventilate.

Misaki covered the blood with her slightly larger palms, her eyes resting on her teammate's brown eyed stare. Shion's hands were clammy and cold, and Misaki felt them shake from underneath her grasp.

"It's okay," Misaki whispered and watched as Shion shook her head back and forth.

Unknowledgeable about how to deal with a child going into shock, Hikaru and Misaki could only exchange glances as their wide eyes were uncertain with worry. They were obviously at a loss with what to do, so they stayed by Shion's side as the girl attempted to silence her own sobs. "It's not my fault. I was forced to do it."

"No one's judging you Shion," Misaki whispered with a gentle coo, finally seeing all the girl's pride and bravado collapse from under her. 

"Misaki, we can't stay here. We have to find Itachi or Anko," Hikaru's voice was urgent, gathering in Shion's ears as her mind went back to that vision of before, of herself, covered in IVs. "Shion, you have to put yourself together."

_That's right...these painful memories are of no use._

Shion's brows furrowed, her fingers touching the damp and clammy skin that covered her cheeks. She glanced around, seeing a body on the ground, covered in blood. More blood scattered across her hands. She jumped back, falling on her butt as she looked around the cramped tunnel before her confused gaze finally moved back to Misaki and Hikaru.

"What happened?" Shion's voice held innocence, and that further confused Misaki and Hikaru. "That chick must of knocked me out...did one of you take her out?" Mineko was faced down, making it impossible to see that the enemy's throat was slashed. "...Is she alive?"

Hikaru and Misaki exchanged glances, but Hikaru was quick to speak. "Yes, she's just unconscious. We, however, need to leave."

"Oh...okay then," Shion stood, attempting to get a closer look at the woman on the ground, but something in her mind told her to look away. "Let's find Itachi and Anko then."

The walk was silent from there, and Shion was oblivious to the tension.

It was then that they came across what could only be described as a laboratory, but to Shion, it looked more like a tomb. Inside, there was glass containers, filled with an indescribable liquid, and inside were men, women, and children. The three Genin exchanged worried glances before they stepped inside, clearly unprepared for the sight of a child, younger than even Shion, suspended in a glass of liquid. In the child's veins were many tubes, and upon stepping inside, the female child's eyes cracked open. Her weak gaze lingered on the three as her hand twitched before slowly moving to rest her palm against the glass.

"We need to get them out," Shion said, rushing forward towards the container.

"Don't exactly know how to do that," Misaki told her with a slight frown. 

"We have to try," Shion said, her brows furrowed as she turned towards the other two. 

"Us trying could do more harm than good. Who knows what will happen if we just drain the water," Hikaru agreed with Misaki, causing Shion's eyes to narrow.

"Well, I don't plan on leaving all these people here," she said, walking over to a stack of papers next to one of the containers.

"We have to find Itachi and Anko and get some direction. We don't know what we're doing here," Misaki said, taking a step forward. By now, her body was already tired and every time she blinked she saw the way Mineko's blood gushed out when Shion's blade slit her throat. She didn't have the luxury to just forget it happened as Shion did.

"We're Shinobi now. Adults. We make our own decisions depending on the situation," Shion glanced towards the little girl. "I won't let them suffer any longer."

Hikaru, who had been silent most of the while, sighed. "Well, I'm not about to go out there without Shion."

Misaki frowned, glancing towards her teammate with a scowl. "Hikaru, don't side with her, she's speaking nonsense, we're just kids."

"Nonsense or not, Shion is the best fighter here. Let's be real, me and you can't take down many strong opponents divided," Hikaru said, watching Shion grin with pride as she handed a stack of papers to her teammate.

"There's got to be information on how to help them somewhere," Shion said, watching as Misaki let out a sigh of defeat and took a stack of papers of her own.

"What if someone strong comes inside?" Misaki asked, but Shion was already absorbed in the documents.

A couple seconds later, she got her distant reply, "It's no different than if we run into someone out there."

"Besides, Itachi and Anko will find us easier if we stay put," Hikaru agreed.

"I suppose," Misaki finally agreed, reluctantly grabbing a stack of papers to read.

"Did something happen that you two aren't telling me?" Shion asked after a couple minutes of silent tension, causing her two teammates to freeze over their piles of documents. 

"No..." Misaki murmured, rather unconvincingly.

"Nothing," Hikaru said with a nonchalant shrug.


	9. Mermaids at Dawn

MERMAIDS AT DAWN

Chapter Eight

**IN THE DARK WITH NOTHING BUT THE SOUND OF FLIPPING PAGES,** Shion stood, dropping the documents to the ground as she placed a hand on the tube where the child rested in suspension. He was no older than eight, and yet he looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was an expressive expression on his furrowed brows, especially since his eyes were closed.

"What are you doing?" Misaki asked, but Shion was focused as she stared at the different buttons and wires. She had read up on the chemicals that filled the glass.

"There are six liquids in this container, three non-aqueous and three water based liquids. They are all non toxic to humans," Shion took a step forward, tampering with a couple buttons. "The density of the container is not too high, but once I drain the water, he won't be able to breathe on his own. So I'm going to leave on the air going into the endotracheal tube."

"You read those articles for like fifteen minutes," Hikaru muttered. "All I found out is that I need to increase my god damn vocabulary."

The water drained slowly from the container, the moment Shion was able, she applied Chakra into her fist and slammed it into the class. It shattered on impact, leaving room for her to jump up and enter the container.

"In the end she still punched the glass," Misaki said in a deadpan, pointing at a switch that read, 'capsule open.'

Shion paid them no mind as she reached over to the boy, carefully inputting Chakra into her arms and legs. With a little difficulty, and with Hikaru eventually aiding her, she got him out of of the container.

"I'm going to remove the endotracheal tube, Misaki, can you keep air going into his lungs so he can have time to regain his natural ability to breathe?" Shion asked, and Misaki quickly nodded, kneeling down and performing a quick Jutsu. She placed her hands above the boy's chest, feeling around until she felt her Chakra wrap around his lungs.

"I have to get him to wake up before you remove it, I'll help by sending a slight shock into his heart. Just relax him when he comes to. When the time comes to remove the tube, make sure you take off the tape around the mass first-"

"No I was just going to grab the mask by the base and tug," Shion interrupted with full sarcasm.

"Sass me again and see what happens," Misaki warned.

"You sounded like Tsukasa-sensei for a second," Shion muttered.

"Now. We don't have a suction catheter, so I'm going to improvise with my own way of removing it."

"You can do that?" Shion asked and Misaki's brows slightly furrowed.

"I've never done it before, but in theory...yeah I got this," Misaki shook her head, ridding herself of the doubt.

"Okay. Ready," Shion said, and Hikaru leaned off in the background with a frown.

"I'll just stand here then," he said.

As Misaki shocked the boy's heart, his eyes snapped awake and Shion immediately grasped his head. She shushed him as ran her hand through his hair as he became hyper aware of the tube in his throat.

"It's okay. We're here to help you. I'm Shion, that's Misaki," Shion whispered and the boy began to calm as Shion removed the tape from the mouth piece. Misaki, with her free hand that was not creating a pathway in the boy's lungs, performed a one handed Jutsu and removed the endotracheal tube with grace and speed.

"I need you to cough," Misaki told him and the boy hacked the mucus that had begun to build in his lungs while Shion pat his back.

"Are you alright?" Shion asked, taking notice to the damp white hair stuck to his cheeks. He was shivering and, of course, quite naked.

"Am I the only one who finds it creepy that this guy has a lab of naked kids, suspended in tubes?" Hikaru asked and Shion glanced at him with a slight grimace.

"That reminds me," said Shion as she pulled out a sealing scroll from her bag. She activated it and in a puff of smoke, a bundle of clothes popped out. "Here, you could use a bit of coverup."

"They're pink," the boy said, taking notice to the ruffles. On top of it rested a small necklace with a charm at the end that looked like a flower, more specifically a Aster tataricus. It was the very same flower Shion was named after.

"And you're naked," she reminded him.

"I unfortunately, lost my extra clothes," Hikaru stated, and Misaki frowned.

"This is why I told you not to pack so messy," Misaki scolded.

The boy sipped on the outfit, slightly thankful that he was at least provided pants. The necklace fell to the ground as if lifted the shirt, and he bent down to pick it up only for Shion to grab it from his fingers and put it around his neck.

"Now you are under my protection," she promised as she gave the necklace one last glance.

"I don't wear necklaces," he told her, taking it off and watching her frown, slightly offended.

"What's your name?" Shion asked, looking back towards the damp boy as she continued kneeling in front of him. She couldn't have been more than one year older than him, but she no doubt looked like a child, out of her element. For the first time, his piercing stare met her eyes.

"You shouldn't be here," he told her, but didn't get a chance to clarify as the walls began to rumble. Her eyes slightly widened but she swiftly grabbed the weakened boy and dashed backwards just as be ceiling fell in a tumble of rocks.

She felt her leg get hit by one as she fell forward, shielding the boy from damage. She felt dust fill her lungs as she attempted to crawl forward, feeling a vibrant pain in her thigh. She pressed her fingers against it, feeling them soak with blood.

"Son of a bitch," Shion muttered, glancing towards the boy who sat up unharmed. "Are you alright?"

"You shielded me," he said and she felt her brows furrow.

"Yeah, I said I was a friend. I think this is what friends do," she told him, limping to her feet. She glanced over to him, finding he was her height when he stood.

"Friend?" His question made her smile. "I've never had a friend before."

"Yeah, I don't have many," Shion's light hearted smile disappeared as she stumbled towards the rubble of large rocks. It was nearly pitch black as the dust took out many of the torches, but she knew that Misaki and Hikaru were somewhere behind the fall out.

"Shion!" Misaki exclaimed and Shion let out a relieved sigh.

"You're okay?" Shion asked. "I'm going to break the rocks."

"I wouldn't do that," the boy whispered from behind her.

"Why not?" Shion asked and watched as the boy pointed at the crumbling ceiling.

"One move and the tunnel will fall apart."

"Poopie," Shion muttered.

"You see the cracks too?" Misaki asked and Shion pressed her palms against the rocks.

"Yeah I can't break it and risk more falling," Shion's voice was conflicted.

"We will get the rest of the subjects out..." Misaki told her and Shion frowned but nodded her head. "I saw how you did it, Hikaru and I can finish it."

"Don't engage in any fights. I'm talking to you Hikaru," Shion shouted, hearing a slight scoff.

"You're the one who goes out half cocked like an idiot," Hikaru shouted back.

Shion grinned and took a step back with a limp. "I'll find Tsukasa-sensei and ask her what the fuck happened to all those strategies she made."

"You would..." Misaki said with a laugh. "Be careful okay. You're okay, right?"

"I was born to be okay," Shion said with a confident grin as she limped away from the rocks. "Don't worry. I'll save the day."

"Be safe, Shion," Hikaru told her and Shion made eye contact with the unnamed boy before they both made their way down the dark, winding tunnel.

"You didn't tell them you were injured," he observed.

"You didn't tell me your name," Shion said with a grin, changing the subject.

"The names Hōzuki Suigetsu. Future swordsman of the Mist," he told her with an air of pride, before he began to cough once more.

"I don't know what that is, but good luck with that," she said with a slight grin. "I have a dream to be the strongest Konoha ninja."

"Like the Hokage?" His question made her nose wrinkle.

"Ew gross no. That sounds boring. All the Hokage does is sit in his chair and get old," she said with a laugh. "I want to travel and help as many people as I can. I can't do that from a swivel chair."

"Why did you help me?"

"I just answered that. I want to help as many people as I can," she said, using the wall as a clutch as her leg began to feel numb.

"Even at the cost of your own life?" His question came quickly and felt sharp like a whip.

She came to a halt, pulling out some bandage and sitting down. She carefully began to clean and dress her leg. "I don't plan on dying, I just wanted to get far away enough so that those two wouldn't know."

Suigetsu went silent.

"When we get to Konoha, you can stay with me if you want," Shion said, hopping up onto her one good leg. "I have my very own apartment now."

"You're naive if you think I'm leaving this place," Suigetsu told her, glancing down, refusing to meet her gaze. "You'll end up dying here and I'll be taken and moved somewhere else, back in that container."

"Now that's a very negative thought." Shion whacked him on the head with her knuckles. "I'll have you know that I don't plan on dying and I especially don't plan on leaving you here."

"Things don't always go according to plan," Suigetsu told her.

Shion grabbed his hand, causing his eyes to sightly widen as her vibrant gaze met his stare. Her eyes seemed bright despite the fact that the nearest torch was a long distance down the tunnel.

She intertwined their fingers and placed her forehead against their conjoined hands. "I, Kurama Shion, promise that I will get you out of here. I swear it. I will not rest until I do."

"I do like the confidence," the boy told her and Shion's grin grew. When she let his hands go, she had left the necklace in his clutches. This time, he sighed and put it on.

"I do have that going for me. Now, let's fine my irresponsible sensei," Shion took a step forward, feeling a rush of pain dart up and down her leg. She grew thankful of the dim lighting as she confined to walk forward.

For a moment, Shion heard the sound of a woman speaking, and she quickly grabbed Suigetsu's hand, bringing him to her side as they glance behind a sharp corner to a dimly lit area. From there, they were able to see a white hair woman and white haired man who appeared to be having a very tense conversation.

"His name is Kabuto," Suigetsu whisper to Shion and he girl nodded her head. "He's the one who helps conduct some of the experiments."

"Is he strong?" Shion asked with earnest curiosity.

"I wouldn't want to get on his bad side," Suigetsu warned her in a low whisper.

"I can imagine that Orochimaru has never shit a day in his life with how far up your lips are wedged up his asshole," the white haired woman's comment was ruthless and Shion saw the younger man, Kabuto, visibly appalled, but it was hard to fully see it with his back to them.

"I've never seen Kabuto so angry before," Suigetsu whispered and Shion felt her hands shake and her heart freeze when the white haired girl's honey colored gaze flicker over to her.

"Seem like some of the test tube babies have gotten free with all this commotion," the woman said and Kabuto's hand ignited with Chakra that nearly looked sharp.

"No doubt thanks to your information. I doubt it's a coincidence that Konoha Shinobi showed up just as you arrived. I'm shocked at how quickly you lie and manipulate."

"Really? Now in what way does that seem out of character for me?" The girl asked and before Kabuto could lunge into attack, she spoke again. "Boy and girl, about 6 years old. They look like Orochimaru's normal subjects. Tell me I'm wrong."

"Shion, you have to run," Suigetsu hissed, grabbing the girl who had slightly frozen. The moment his hand wrapped around her arm, she jumped into action, rushing away from the white hair villains as quickly as she could.

"Did we get away?" Suigetsu muttered, his breathing labored.

"My thoughts exactly," said Kabuto in a whisper that still managed to send shivers down Shion's spine.

Shion quickly took out a couple shuriken, and tossed them towards the white haired man. He swiftly caught them with a bored smirk.

"Is that all?" Kabuto asked and Shion gave him a cheeky grin.

"You're right. Consider my plans thoroughly foiled. I mean, you even defused the bombs and everything," Shion said, grabbing ahold of Suigetsu's hand.

"Bomb?" Kabuto asked just as an explosion resonated between them.

Shion jumped back, her leg numb and her muscles screaming at her to rest. She approximated that she had roughly five minutes before her leg actually gave out. It wasn't much time, but in battle, five minutes was a lifetime.

"I hope you didn't think that tiny bomb had any effect," Kabuto said, and Shion slightly smiled.

"The bomb wasn't to hurt you, Kabuki," Shion informed him.

"It's Kabut-" but before he could finish the sentence the rocks of the the tunnel collapsed before them while Shion grabbed ahold of Suigetsu and pushed them both away from the falling debris.

"You okay?" Shion asked, and the boy glanced towards her.

"Why do you keep helping me?" he asked and she tilted her head, helping him stand up.

"I told you, I want to be a hero," she said and glanced towards the rocks that now separated her and Kabuto. Before they could so much as jump away, the white haired man blew a hole into the rocks.

"Then how about you be like every great hero and die tragically," the man hissed out.

"Kabuki looks mad," Shion told Suigetsu, but the shaking of her legs gave away her own personal fear.

"You're scared," Suigetsu was oddly calm considering the situation. The moment he pointed out the weakness, Shion stopped shaking as she began to mold her Chakra into a ball before she felt it gather in her throat like a slow burn.

"I'm not," she informed him. She did a few more quick hand signs. "Fire style. Fire ball Jutsu." The fire rushed out in a heated blast, burning past the two children and headed straight for Kabuto, who had earlier deemed the child nothing but talk, only to be slightly surprised by the amount of power behind her attack. Shion was as well, as she had never been able to get the Jutsu to work before.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as Kabuto almost immediately rebounded with a quick earth Jutsu, bringing about a wall of earth to block the move. Shion, having seen this coming, was quick to use her own clone as a distraction as she dashed behind him to rebound her injured leg into his ribcages. She paid no heed to her own injury as she suppressed the flinch that wanted to make its claim against her nerves. Instead, she quickly swiped her arm up, simultaneously summoning a clone to flank Kabuto's sides.

As if he were dealing with a child, he popped both her clones like balloons and swiftly motioned to stab her with his kunai. She jumped back, feeling her leg soak with blood.

_If I attack, his Taijutsu will be the end of me. I go for the jugular, he goes for the blind spot just under my arm. My leg will slow me down. I can't go hand to hand. At the same time, Ninjutsu such as fire and earth would do me more harm than good in such close and compact quarters. My Genjutsu isn't strong enough either. If I get too close, he'll kill me and then Suigetsu will be taken back. I could run, but on my leg I will not be getting very far._

These were somber thoughts, but they didn't make her panic. The humbled her and she swiftly began to strategize a new plan. _I can't run. I can't hide. I can't use Ninjutsu. He is stronger, faster, and he has the advantage._

Shion raised her hands and put them together, slowly closing her eyes. She felt Kabuto's confusion but he still darted forward to attack. In her calm state, she noticed his own frustration had blinded him. "Try not to embarrass yourself, Kabuki."

She heard him growl and lean forward for the killing blow. As if the world had slowed, she duck and lodged her kunai into his leg, right into the thigh. He let out a slight groan, and jumped back while Shion opened her eyes.

"I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to destroy you," he warned her, taking out the kunai.

"Can I get that back? Those are surprisingly expensive in a ninja village," she told him. He scoffed, tossing it onto the ground. "You could have just said no, Kabuki." Kabuto pressed his hand against the wound, and the moment the green Chakra emitted from his palm, the wound began to heal.

_We are on even ground, but I won't last much longer with this wound. I can't let him heal himself._

Shion darted forward, doing a barrage of hand-signs before fire erupted from her throat. Victory, however, was not to be as Kabuto was too swift to parry her blow with a water attack in the shape of strong bolts that rendered her flames useless.

The bolts of water went through her fire Jutsu and headed straight for her. Her reflexes were normally quick, but she felt something hold her in place. She looked down and noticed a hidden clone of Kabuto's was holding down her legs.

She didn't have the appropriate time for an Earth type Jutsu and she couldn't move. She squeezed her eyes shut, awaiting the water type Jutsu that was certain to seal her fate. Instead of that, Suigetsu darted forward, his body stretching as the water bolts hit his body but sunk in like ripples as if his body had absorbed it.

"How very out of character for you, Suigetsu-kun," Kabuto told him, lowering his hand. "But it's not going to do that girl much good. She's got a couple seconds more life. Your action are fruitless."

"You can go straight to hell, Kabuto," Suigetsu told him and Shion grabbed his hand pulling him back.

"What are you doing?" Shion asked, and Suigetsu scoffed.

"Saving your ass. You're welcome, by the way," he told her and she shook her head.

"I guess I'm not a very good hero, am I?" Shion looked disappointed in herself, but Suigetsu squeezed her hand.

"You're an awful hero. Just awful," he agreed, letting her hand go and taking a step forward. "Hey dickhead, guess your new opponent is me." Suigetsu didn't sound too menacing especially since his serious tone was offset by the pink frills of his shirt.

"I'm getting really tired of people's disrespect today," Kabuto muttered, moving his hands in a swift Jutsu. "But it's fine, I suppose if you two die together it's not the worst thing. We still have your blood samples."

"I hate to say it, but Kabuki is a real assface," Shion said and Kabuto rolled his eyes doing a quick Jutsu.

"Quick sand no Jutsu," he said and Shion grinned.

"Quick sand no Jutsu? That's literally the dumbest name I've ever heard," she told him, just as the ground began to sink. She moved to jump up, but almost immediately a clone Kabuto's hand came back down to pull her in while Suigetsu quickly darted forward to attack Kabuto with a barrage of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu.

Shion quickly filtered her Chakra out through the ground, crystalizing the sand in one place. She winced, feeling pieces of sand and dirt go in through her bandages. Using her free hand, she quickly did a Earth type Jutsu, bringing the ground from under her feet to rise like a pillar and allowing her to escape the sand.

"Oh no," she muttered, feeling the pain shoot up her thigh. "It's definitely infected." She performed a couple hand symbols and rushed forward with a furious set of fire projectiles just waiting to come out. "Suigetsu, hold him."

"Yeah can you rephrase that. Kabuto's not really my type," Suigetsu said with a wry grin.

"Very funny," Shion commented as Suigetsu quickly wrapped around Kabuto's legs. There wasn't enough time for the man to dodge the attacks, and Shion's Jutsu hit him head on.

She would have expected there to be more noise or a scream at least, instead, she got the silence in response. She couldn't see past the dirt that had flown up in response to the commotion and a thick smoke had begun to fill the tunnel. If she stayed much longer, she would lose the ability to breath.

She didn't get much longer to process the lack of noise as a pain went through her shoulder. She turned around to see Kabuto behind her, his hand raised and pointed with a sharp Chakra emitting like a knife. From his fingertips rested her blood.

"Don't feel too bad, you never stood a chance from the beginning."

Her eyes widened and just when he swiped low to end her life, his hand went to block perfectly aimed Kunai that came his way through the thick smog that surrounded them. Shion didn't get a chance to say anything else as Itachi's arms wrapped around her and he carried her out from the nearly collapsed tunnel.

"Did you see his stupid surprised face," she whispered with a grin, mid cough.

Itachi chuckled, "I was a little preoccupied with getting you out of there."

"Where's...Suigetsu?" Shion asked as she felt her lungs burn, but Itachi didn't answer for a moment.

"I didn't see anyone else but you," he informed her, and his vibrant Sharingan eyes connected with hers. "The enemy quickly retreated. He seemed reluctant to show his face to me."

"We have to go back..." Shion attempted to shift, to sit up and escape Itachi's arms, but her body had begun to go numb. "I have to go back for Suigetsu."

"The tunnel collapsed, Shion. There's no going back. Only forward. The mission was a success with no casualties and the base is taken. It's time for you to rest," Itachi, having sensed her reluctance, quickly put her to sleep through a deep Genjutsu that hallowed out her mind and made her collapse in his arms.

"I have to...rescue..." Shion's closed her eyes and fought the Jutsu no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shion is such a fun character to write. Unsurprisingly, her name is actually a flower that means lost memory. Ironic and an accident considering she has forced amnesia.
> 
> I put Suigetsu in here for shits and giggles, but I enjoyed it and I'm going according to the timeline I have written for this story. Overall, I have the next couple years of Shion's career all planned out, so I'm just waiting on the inspiration to follow.
> 
> Kabuto really doesn't like the nicknames, unfortunately, I do so suck it.


	10. Grow Up

GROW UP

Chapter Nine

**SHION AWOKE TO CHIRPING.** It was out of place and serene, contrasting greatly to the throbbing pain in her leg. She slowly raised her head from the bobbling shoulder, forcing Itachi to come to a stop, mid jump, leaving them both suspended on the thick tree branch. Shion tried to speak, but instead all she did was cough. She caught sight of a bob of curly orange hair and the one eyed deadpan of her sensei, jumping next to them.

"Being exposed to smoke, especially in closed courters, is never a good idea," Tsukasa reminded her. "And yet you still used fire type Jutsu. How reckless."

"I...had to...protect Suigetsu," Shion whispered.

"And how did that turn out?" Tsukasa was always harsh and blunt, but Shion was in no mood to deal with it as her eyes began to water.

"Where is your bedside manner?" Itachi scolded, and Tsukasa's gaze met his, her lips slightly quirking.

"And where is the bed?" she countered, raising her hand, almost hesitant before it glowed green. The warmth of her Chakra spread over Shion's neck, and Misaki and Hikaru jumped near.

"We were so worried," Misaki said, her hand over her lips.

"When Itachi brought you in unconscious and bleeding," Hikaru looked away, unable to continue. A warm-like ember filled Shion's chest, and her lips spread into a small smile. The sadness and disappointment still threatened to swallow her whole. She broke a promise to Suigetsu, and that hurt so much that she couldn't breathe.

Would he think she abandoned him? Was he hurt? Was he dead?

She had no answers, but she had to believe that she would see him again someday, fulfilling her promise and recovering her pride. In the meantime, Kabuki could go _fuck_ himself.

"Did you cry?" Shion asked, causing Tsukasa to roll her eyes at the childish question before she patted Itachi's arm. The gesture was surprisingly affectionate, not that the three children noticed.

"No!" Hikaru snapped, and Misaki slightly smiled.

"Like a baby," Misaki corrected.

"You pinkie swore you wouldn't tell."

"I didn't realize that it was a binding contract," Misaki stated, rolling her eyes.

The banter made Shion's heart lighten its burden, and she rested her head against Itachi's shoulder. His back was warm and his grip holding her up was gentle, yet strong. Perhaps she had no parents or family, but she was grateful and happy to get the chance at this new one. Her brothers and sisters would protect her, just as she would protect them.

She hoped to expand her family as much as she could.

"Itachi..." she muttered her eyes growing heavy once again. "Can you help me become stronger?"

Itachi paused, a hoisting her up high as she began to slip. "Tsukasa won't like me taking away her student."

"Tsukasa can go eat a..." Shion dozed off into unconsciousness.

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"Feels good to be home," Misaki commented as she glanced towards Shion with a smile. Shion, always ready to be bubbly, threw her arm around her teammate's shoulders. This action wasn't very easy considering said teammate was much taller than her.

"We left as boys, but came back as men," Shion said, causing Misaki's brows to furrow together.

"Wait what?" Misaki's question went unanswered as Shion spotted Shikamaru in the distance, and like a hyperactive chihuahua, she dashed to meet up with him.

"Am I the only one who wished we had left her in the tunnels?" Hikaru was only half-joking, and Tsukasa glanced up from her mission report with a deadpan.

"I wish I had left all of you there," Tsukasa glanced towards Itachi with a frown. "Where's Anko?"

"She mentioned she wanted to explore the hot springs an hour ago when we passed the mountains," Itachi informed her, reading over his own mission report. "I am paraphrasing. Her actual words are not suitable to repeat."

"I figured as much."

"You didn't notice she wasn't here until now?" Misaki asked with a frown while Hikaru looked mesmerized by Tsukasa's voice.

"I've learned to naturally tone her out," Tsukasa told her, her eye looking even more humorless than before. She glanced towards Itachi. "If you see her, let her know that if she submits her report in late, I'm going to get her demoted."

"That's harsh," Misaki commented.

Shion, from the distance ran towards Shikamaru who covered his face in attempts to get past her unnoticed. It didn't work and he found himself tackled into a hug. "I missed you!"

"Did you go somewhere or something?" He looked completely uninterested, having not noticed she had been gone for three weeks.

Or if he did, then he obviously didn't act like he did. "Shikamaru, you're so cold. But that's okay, cause I have so much to tell you. How about we spend the day catching up over a game of shogi?"

"I don't like playing with you," he reminded her, remembering just how competitive she got. At first, it was funny, but now his amusement dwindled when her aggressiveness flared.

"You're just saying because I won the last round," she reminded him in return, causing him to sigh. He would think that after a win, she would get less aggressive, but every win only fueled her ego and her competitive spirit.

"How do you have this much energy in the morning?" His complaint made her smile before her brows furrowed at a thought.

"That reminds me, you're not usually up so early. What gives?" Shion asked, steering his small body towards her apartment.

"Ask my mother. Said I needed some exercise and set my alarm eight hours early," he complained, yawning into his hand. "What a drag."

"Eight hours early? Who in their right mind sets an alarm form three o'clock?" Shion wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Someone who enjoys sleeping," Shikamaru replied, yawning once more as Shion led him to the red light district where her apartment resides. "My mom would be pissed to hear about your living arrangements."

"What's wrong with wear I liv-" Shion wasn't able to even finish her sentence as a man unsteadily made his way towards her and began pissing on the anemone flowers against her apartment.

"The show isn't free, runts," the man said and Shikamaru scrunched his nose in disgust while Shion puffed out her cheeks.

"There's not much to see except a possible infection that you might want to have checked out," Shion informed him, dragging Shikamaru through the doors of her building.

"How could you possibly know that?" Shikamaru was slightly grossed out and equally impressed.

"I read some strange books," Shion answers truthfully as the came upon the many stairs that led to her apartment. Shikamaru groaned.

"Can't I just go home?" Shikamaru asked, but Shion dragged him nonetheless and he was too lazy to fight back.

By the time they did get to her apartment, all that was inside was a blanket and a pillow laying in the middle of the room. Next to it was a stack of books that Shion never returned to the library.

"Where's the shogi board?" Shikamaru asked, rather disinterested. Shion walked over to her pillow and pulled out the shogi board with a grin. "Isn't that mine?"

"Chill. It's not like I broke anything in your house when I took it," she told him and he deadpanned.

"Pretty sure that's not the issue with this predicament," Shikamaru told her as she sat crisscross a small distance from him. He let out a troubled sigh as he did the same.

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"I just don't understand how I could lose," Shion complained with a groan. If Shikamaru cared more about losing or winning, he might have been more talkative. He didn't seen the point since Shion was talkative enough for the both of them.

"I've gotta get home. Mom is gonna be pissed that I stayed out past curfew," Shikamaru commented, leaving out the accusatory tone towards the girl who was responsible for said upcoming scolding.

"Just tell her you are free man and then move in with me. It would be so fun. We can play shogi and I could do your hair." Shion giggled in an excited voice as she clapped her hands together.

"I'm just gonna go," he said in a deadpan as he walked away, back towards the Nara complex. 

Shion, however, continued her way towards the food stands, catching sight of an orange jumpsuit that made her grin. She rushed forward, placing her hands on Naruto's shoulders and making him jump, mid slurp as his eyes narrowed slightly on her. "Naruto!"

"Oh it's you, dattebayo," he scratched his nose and looked away from Shion's smiling face with an expression of disinterest.

"Okay so I'm sensing a bit of hostility. What's up blondie?" Shion took seat next to him, and it seemed to Naruto that she had completely forgotten about their very similar hostile conversation the last time she approached him. Naturally she thought little of it last time, since she had just moved out and thought Naruto was just moody.

"None of your business, dattebayo," he commented, turning his head as she blinked in confusion.

"Now I'm just confused Naruto," she told him with a frown, leaning closer with her elbow on the counter while the chef continued cooking, tuning out all conversation. "But you're not acting like a very good friend."

"We aren't friends," he commented, and she straightened her back. A sting went through to her chest, and she bit her lip and pushed it down.

"Fine. I never wanted to be friends with you anyway. No one does. Go back to your swing and stay there, you eye sore." She stood up, not meaning to be so mean or childish, but sometimes when it counted, she was reminded that she was barely ten years old.

She stormed off, but once she was far enough, she felt immensely guilty for her words. She thought about turning back around, but was too nervous so she ended up standing in the middle of the dirt road, earning stares as she chewed on her nails. Once she finally decided to find Naruto and apologize, and maybe find out why he was being such a tool, she felt someone tap her shoulder.

"Shion, you okay?" Misaki asked, her voice concerned and Shion quickly put down her hand, and quickly forced a smile.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about adopting a puppy," Shion told her and Misaki's brows furrowed.

"I was calling your name for a while," she told her teammate, who only continued to smile.

"It's a serious thought though," Shion told her, holding out her hand and grabbing Misaki's. "So can you come with me."

"To adopt a puppy?" Misaki had difficulty following her teammate's train of thought.

"Oh no, I was kind of an asshole and I want to apologize but I need the moral support," Shion told her and Misaki rubbed her temples as Shion dragged her towards the food stands.

"What about the puppy?" Misaki asked, causing Shion to turn her head back go the girl, her pink hair slightly messy as she twirled a strand around her finger.

"What puppy? Misaki focus," Shion blinked, as she made it to the ramen shop. Naruto was nowhere in sight, causing Shion to frown.

"I don't like spending time with you. I hope you know that," Misaku commented, but Shion ignored her as she walked up to the chef.

"Where's Naruto?" Shion asked and the man slightly frowned.

"He was with you," the man replied as he continued drying a bowl with a towel.

"Pretty sure that never happened," Shion told him and the man shrugged.

"Not sure what to tell you, not even two minutes ago you came up and you and Naruto went off somewhere," he said and Shion turned to Misaki who was looking out of place and uncomfortable.

"Thanks," Shion muttered half heartedly as she walked with Misaki back out into the dirt road. In the distance, the sun had begun to set and many people were absent from the outside village.

"So whose Naruto?" Misaki asked, but she still didn't sound very interested.

"Someone is pretending to be me," Shion said, ignoring Misaki's question and causing said girl to frown.

"Who would want to pretend to be you? No offense," Misaki said and Shion shrugged.

"Naruto gets bullied a lot. It could be a prank. We have to find him," Shion rushed forward, towards the direction the chef had said Naruto went.

"Couldn't we just leave it? I'm kind of tired," Misaki said, but Shion ignored her as she asked passing venders and people packing away the vegetables and grains for the end of the day, asking if they had seen where Naruto had gone.

Many brushed her off before one pointed in the direction of the training grounds. Shion nodded and dragged Misaki along with her.

"Couldn't we just find an adult or something?" Misaki asked, causing Shion to frown.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Shion asked with a grin, causing Misaki to roll her eyes. Shion's smile ceased as they reached the training complex and she caught sight of an unfamiliar ninja.

"Unlike you, I don't have a hero complex," Misaki replied with a frown.

"Misaki shh," Shion shushed her, grabbing the girl and shoving them both behind a bush to watch as an unconscious Naruto was carried on the back of a ninja.

"We have to tell someone. Tsukasa," Misaki urged, but it went on deaf ears as three more ninja jumped from the high trees of the training grounds and landed near the first ninja and the unconscious Naruto.

"Who could we tell?" Shion began to dig through her bag, pulling out a couple shuriken. "There's no time. They will be gone before we have the chance to find someone."

"Need I remind you that rushing in there might get us killed," Misaki said, the panic rising in her voice. She could handle bullies, but she wasn't ready for trained ninja and she proved that when in Orochimaru's hideout.

"I understand that," Shion said, but Misaki knew that she couldn't possibly understand since she had so conveniently lost her memory of the event. "But I also can't just do nothing. I already failed Suigetsu. I won't fail another friend."

"I'm not rushing into danger just so you can prove yourself," Misaki told her, and Shion shook her head.

"You are misunderstanding. I want you to find Tsukasa or Itachi. I'll distract them." Shion's expression was serious, and her eyes were without humor, just daring Misaki to question her.

"No way," Misaki protested anyway, still remembering how her teammate broke down after taking a life. "I'm not leaving without you. We fight together or not at all."

"No offense," Shion slightly smiled, but her eyes remained unchanged. "But you aren't much of a fighter. Go, quickly. There isn't enough time to argue."

"You're still injured." Misaki pressed her fingers against Shion's thigh, her voice in a harsh whisper. Shion didn't flinch, despite the fact that the wound was still covered in brittle, easily broken skin.

"Just trust me," Shion was gone in a moment, and in her place was a log. Misaki gaped at the empty space that once was Shion, only to hear that girl shout in the distance. "Yo! Ugly! I think you're missing something?"

Shion held up a Hitai-ate with the distinct symbol of Iwagakure. The ninja holding Naruto reached towards the empty place on his belt to find that his forehead protector was missing.

"I can't imagine how you were hoping to get by unnoticed, but I can see that you wanted this mission of yours to remain a secret. After all, Konoha and Iwa do have a peace treaty," Shion placed the headband around her waist, tying it tight.

"Kill her. No witnesses," one of the Iwa ninja ordered, and kunai immediately flew her way, the intent to kill sinking in the attack. They impaled Shion, but her body turned into a log. Before long, hands reached from the ground and grabbed onto the ankles of the ninja who held onto Naruto. Shion immediately swiped Naruto from his arms, kicking his back as she did that way she could gain momentum to jump away from his body.

She forced Chakra into her arms in order to have the appropriate strength to lift Naruto. She could already feel her reserves begin to dwindle as she had summoned clones to do her bidding in such a short amount of time. Not to mention she really wasn't healed fully from the last mission.

"You four are an embarrassment to rocks!" Shion taunted, and the Iwa ninja all seemed to grow angrier with her every word. Naruto slowly began to stir when she jumped away from the four and made a couple more clones, each with a small Genjutsu of Naruto on their shoulder. The Iwa ninja didn't look fooled at first, and it seemed like they were all about to follow her before they began to veer off towards her clones.

She ran, feeling her legs burn. They might be stronger than her, but she knew this forest. She set Naruto down, hiding behind a tree as she tossed a trip wire, connected to a kunai, and tossed it into another nearby tree. She then quickly fused it with a bomb, thankful that she took her weapons with her everywhere.

"Shion...?" Naruto's voice was groggy and she quickly rushed to his side and placed her finger against his lips to silence him.

"Shush. They could be close by." She felt their Chakra, lurking and knew that by now they had destroyed her clones. She could fee it.

"Those assholes hit me." Naruto tried to stand but Shion grabbed ahold of him with a frown.

"Yeah, and I saved you. You're welcome by the way," she said and his brows furrowed while she went back to performing a Genjutsu that Itachi taught her, in order to mask their presence. She wasn't as strong as Itachi, so she knew she couldn't keep it up for as long as he could, but it would have to be enough.

"Why would you do that?" Naruto sounded genuinely confused, slightly unnerving her.

"Cause we're friends, bakabayo," she mocked, not bothering to gauge his reaction.


	11. Faith

FAITH

Chapter Ten

**NARUTO WAS SILENT FOR A WHILE AFTER SHION HAD SNAPPED AT HIM** like that of a wild animal. In her ever extending defense, Naruto had succeeded in pissing her off far too much the last couple times she had talked to him. Worst of all, he still wouldn't tell her what crawled up his ass and died, making him into such a moody dickhead. Shion was quite done asking, and decided that after all this, she was going to beat him senseless.

"What are we going to do?" Naruto asked, peeking over her shoulder as she prepared another trap in the form of a bomb. She glanced his way before grabbing his hand and ignoring the way his face inflamed in red as if he just ate a whole pepper.

_Peppers sound so great right now,_ Shion thought with a longing sigh. "You are going to do nothing but stay quiet. No offense, Naruto, but you have like no fighting ability."

"That's not true, dattebayo," he defended, watching as Shion's brow raised past her bangs.

"Right," she replied, stretching out her syllable. "Look, Naruto, I'm not making fun of you. It's not a sin to suck a fighting."

Those were not the right words. Shion realized right away that negativity or criticism wasn't something Naruto took very well, and he stormed past her. "I'll show you, dattebayo. Then you'll regret ever doubting me."

Shion blinked, almost unbelieving his own pride as he stormed past her and triggered the bomb he watched her activate only thirty seconds ago. "Naruto, wait!"

She barely managed to grab him in time, tossing him into the grass as the explosion caught her side. She felt a burn travel up and down her leg. Her reflexes were always one step ahead of many others, so she rolled into the dirt. It didn't matter as she saw her leg was a red color, swarming with spots of dark charred skin that she could feel just as vibrantly as she could see it. She attempted to stand back up at the sound of footsteps approaching, but her leg screamed at her in protest.

"Shion..." Naruto's voice didn't break her out of her the pain, but it gave her a new emotion of blinding rage as she moved her harsh gaze towards him. It was as if a powerful brush of cold air ran over him, and he dared not say another word.

"That looks painful." One of the enemy ninja crept out of the shadows of the trees, causing Shion to stand up despite the pain. "How embarrassing is a self inflicted burn?"

"Is it as embarrassing as being bested by a nine year old? I'm sure you would know," Shion told him, attempting not to flinch as a gust of wind swept over the burn on her leg.

Antagonizing him didn't seem smart, but Shion always had a problem with getting the last word. It was her very inconvenient curse. She scanned her surroundings before an idea sprung into her head as she watched him ready to strike her.

"This mission was supposed to go under the radar?" Shion's words halted him. "I told my teammate before going after you. By now, she already alerted the council."

"Then I guess I'll just have to kill you fast then," he told her, rushing to strike her, but when he came at her with his katana, her body disappeared and in replacement was a log.

The real Shion grabbed Naruto, turning back to gloat. "I don't know how you alway manage to fall for that. Did you flunk the academy?" She stuck her tongue out to further annoy him. In the enemy ninja's anger, he didn't notice she had made another clone of both her and Naruto. The actual Naruto had to be a far enough distance away by now, thinking he was with Shion's actual body. He would never have left her if he knew she decided to stay behind.

All she had to do was buy time, however much she could with her leg in the state that it was. Naruto stood a better chance by himself now that she was such a hinderance. She barely managed to dodge his attack, simultaneously placing Chakra into her leg so as to soothe and strengthen it for as long as she could. He shoved her back with the back of his hand, smacking into her face. Her back hit the ground, but her hands stopped her from sliding when they dug into the grass.

"Children shouldn't fight grown up battles," he told her, grabbing onto Naruto. "Don't feel too bad, you fought well enough for a kid but-" He didn't finish as the Naruto in his arms turned into a small note with a smiley face.

Shion let out a struggled laugh, wiping off the bit of blood that dripped from her lip. "I have literally never met anyone who fell for the same trick this many times. Oh my god." She was laughing so hard, her sides were splitting. "I'm pissing."

He took out his katana once more, any amusement he had for her had died off as he approached. "I'm going to gut you like a fish."

She let out one last laugh to stop the actual fear from surfacing. "You need to learn to take a joke, dude."

He raised his katana to strike her down, and when she tried to move, she felt her body had frozen up in fear. It was as if cold hands were holding her down with no escape and she was stuck in her sitting position on the ground. Her skin was cold and slowly her eyes dilated. He dropped his blade mere inches from her body, letting out a banshee scream even though she didn't touch him.

"What are you doing to me?" He lowered to his knees as he begged her to stop. Slowly, she watched as blood gushed out of his eyes while his fingers dug into them to claw them out. He begged her to stop over and over, but she was frozen, unblinking as blood slowly pooled from her nose and he collapsed next to her.

His blood soaked into the grass and melted into her hands, slick like oil. She was frozen for a couple seconds longer before she inhaled a deep breath of air that she hadn't realized she was holding inside. She felt her hands shake, glancing towards his body, dead and unmoving. It pried open a memory she had attempted to shut. She remembered the blood when she slit open that woman's throat back in Orochimaru's hide out. It felt the same.

She glanced down at her hands with shallow breaths as they shook in her line of vision. Her gaze felt hazy, almost faded as she forced herself to sit up and stand. Her leg, burned and charred, felt forgotten as she limped away, stumbling as she did. Her lips were trembling and her eyes had begun to burn.

_I killed someone...two people_...She felt her nose burn with moisture and blood. She didn't know how that Iwa ninja died just now, but down in her bones she knew that it was her doing. She rushed away, using the trees as support and the further she escaped, the more her memory began to grow foggy. It was as if someone had dropped a veil over her head and the first thing she saw when she came too was yet another enemy.

She blinked as she watched the Iwa ninja send a well time earth Jutsu towards her in the form of spikes made of rock. She didn't even think to dodge it when Misaki shoved her out of the way. Perhaps the blow was exactly what Shion needed because she awoke from her daze when she met Misaki pained gaze as the girls toppled over each other. Shion felt something wet and sticky drench her arm as she slowly realized the ninja's attack had hit Misaki instead.

Misaki's arm was drenched in blood and the girl attempted to stay awake, forcing Shion to carefully lift the girl off of her. The Iwa ninja began to perform another Jutsu. "You two can die together then," he said, but didn't get to finish his sentence as a silver haired man appeared behind him, knocking the man out with a nonchalant blow with the back of his hand.

"I told her not to run ahead of me," the silver haired man muttered, scratching the back of his head. Like Tsukasa, only one of his eyes was visible, and he had an air of superiority about him. Shion placed her hand over her head, fading in and out of consciousness, which seemed a little drastic for a burn on her leg.

It was Chakra exhaustion. She realized that with a distant frown. She couldn't remember what drained all her Chakra. She didn't care. "Is Naruto okay?"

"Yeah. You protected him well," the silver head man said, kneeling down next to her and Misaki. "It's okay to rest now."

She didn't need to be told twice.

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Shion awoke to darkness. Beeping echoed next to her, and she craned her neck to see the source of the sound. The consistent beeps of her steady heartbeat was her lullaby, nearly urging her to close her eyes and continue sleeping. She did no such thing, and instead attempted to sit up.

Connected to her arm was many intricate wires, embedded in her flesh. She stared at it for a moment in a foggy distortion before she contemplated yanking them out. Instead, she laid back down, feeling the aftermath of a concussion.

She didn't know how long she laid there in the dark, trying to make sense of her mess of memories. She remembered bits and pieces, but the rest seemed so foggy. Finally, she remembered that silver haired man with one eye covered. He had saved her, but if only she were stronger, then she wouldn't need saving.

She covered her face with her hand that wasn't hooked up like a fishing rod. Her brain was pinging against every wall in her skull, unrelenting and painful. Shion rested like that, trying to sort through the confusion and nausea up until the very moment the sliding hospital door squeaked open. She slowly peaked through her fingers as light flooded the room in a soft glow. The light didn't make things any better and instead it blinded her for a long moment.

"Nice to see you're awake," Tsukasa murmured, closing the door behind her as she dragged a wooden chair next to Shion's bed. Tsukasa, with her complete lack of bedside manner, paid no attention to the sound the wood made against the tile. It was a scraping sound that peeled away at Shion's inner ears for a long moment.

"Stop," Shion begged, but her sensei was never one for self pity, even if it was deserved at the moment.

"What do you remember?" Tsukasa asked, cutting straight to the point that Shion had been trying to answer in her solitude.

"My head hurts," Shion muttered, and her teacher sighed.

"That's nice, but it wasn't the answer to my question," Tsukasa said, leaning forward. "What do you remember?"

"I remember," Shion's memory became less cloudy, and she answered without hesitation. "I remember Naruto being a tool. Me saving him and then some silver douche stepping in to save me."

"That would be Kakashi Hatake." Tsukasa leaned forward. "And you're right. He is a douche. That's all you remember?"

"That's all that happened," Shion answered, and Tsukasa raised her brow, or maybe both of them, but it was hard to tell with her bandage covering one side of her face. "Wait...What happened to Misaki?"

"Ah," Tsukasa blinked for a couple seconds. "In the attack, a spike lodged deep into her upper arm, resulting in a comminuted fracture. Misaki will be out of commission for a couple weeks to heal."

"She saved my life," Shion whispered, but Tsukasa had already started to stand up with a bored expression on her face. Her single eye was unreadable, but something about that comment made her agitated. Shion could tell it must have been something serious if even Shion could see the emotion through her stoic sensei's usual monotone.

"She wouldn't have needed to if I were a better teacher," Tsukasa's voice was low, quick to blame herself for everything that went wrong. Shion opened her mouth to retort, perhaps defend, but Tsukasa raised her hand to stop her. "I have something to teach you. Can you stand?"

"Training? Now?" Shion's brows scrunched together in a slight sign of surprise. She shouldn't have been surprised, since Tsukasa always had a way with keeping the training going even in the worst of times.

"Is that a problem?" Tsukasa was testing her, and Shion was never one to fail a test. The girl sat up straight, ready to rip out the IV and wires, but Tsukasa stopped her. "Are you crazy?"

With intricate skill, Tsukasa unhooked her, glancing over Shion's chart one last time before nodding her head. Shion, who had been watching the entire time, slightly smiled into her palm "You're a lot kinder than you make yourself out to be."

Tsukasa stopped in her tracks, her eye slightly narrowing in a way that made Shion regret ever saying anything. "Tell anybody else that and I will carve out your eye." Tsukasa warned, and Shion grinned, standing up and almost immediately falling onto the cold tile. Tsukasa halted by the door, watching as Shion struggled to her feet, her legs shaking as she moved. "Sure you don't want to rest longer then?"

"Nope." Shion forced her legs into obeying her, already feeling Tsukasa's scrutinizing stare on her figure. As if her legs were lead, Shion felt the difficulty in her ability to move with ease. Every move was a struggle and every breath was a fight, however, it only took one glance towards that hospital bed to make her continue standing.

For some illogical reason, those white sheets felt like a prison, shackling her down. Tsukasa watched this attempt before the woman held open the door with a bored deadpan. Shion focused on her sensei's headband towards her bandages around her eye with a growing smile when she noticed the very tiny smiley face drawn in the dead center.

"Did you draw that?" Shion asked when she limped closer, ignoring the crutches that rested next to a wooden stool by the door.

"Draw what?" Tsukasa reached up, grabbing her bandages and tugging it off. It was the first time Shion had ever seen underneath and she immediately saw why Tsukasa was so careful with it. Over her eye and around her lids were the distinct markings of fingernails, as if someone had pinned her down and scrapped out her eye with their bare hands.

Her left eye was closed, and Shion opened her mouth to ask if she could see inside. However, Tsukasa's angry tone broke her from that thought.

"Last time I fall asleep next to an asshole," Tsukasa muttered, rubbing her temples. Shion's giggle made Tsukasa's eye barrow. "They will never find your body." Shion stopped laughing immediately. "Meet me on training grounds 5."

When Tsukasa began to walk away, Shion gasped. "You're not gonna walk with me."

"It's bad enough I have to spend my afternoon with you." Tsukasa's body disappeared in a cloud of smoke, allowing Shion to realize that she had been talking to a clone this whole time.

She limped out of the room with a sigh, finding it cruel that Tsukasa chose the training grounds _literally_ farthest from the hospital. She didn't get far, however, as Naruto all but bombarded her with his presence when he turned a corner.

"Shion," he greeted, almost nervous and her brows furrowed. She was careful to hide her limp and come to a screeching halt as she realized that she was still wearing her hospital gown. Luckily, it wasn't backless, but it was still a bit too open since she didn't think she was wearing underwear.

_Nope, no underwear,_ Shion thought with a sheepishly growing smile.

"Naruto, I'm so relieved you are alright!" Shion exclaimed, hoping to hide her own awkwardness. She briefly wondered if she succeeded, before she remembered how oblivious Naruto tended to be.

Naruto's eyes filled with tears and it caused her eyes to widen in surprise. "Shion-chan," he exclaimed in between hiccups. She took a surprised step back, before she realized that the muscles in her quads were far more injured than she realized, causing her to slightly wince.

"Naruto, why are you crying?" Shion asked, watching as Naruto wiped away some of the moisture that had begun to drip from his nose.

"I'm sorry," he said in between sobbing and stuttering. Shion had wanted an apology for his behavior prior to everything, but a night's rest had already made her forget the grudge. She felt her lips curl as he continued to apologize. "I thought you left the orphanage to get away from me."

"What?" Shion's smile disappeared and was replaced by an incredulous expression. Her brows knitted together, watching as he sniffed back up the snot that was beginning to drip from his nose. "Naruto, that's just dumb."

"Shuttup dattebayo," he grumbled in between sniffs. She could only laugh, her shoulders shaking as she did. It was a laugh that hurt her bruised ribs, but it was worth it when she watched his smile begin to slip through his tears.

She leaned forward, pressing her thumbs against his each side of his lips before she forced him to smile. His bright blue eyes were like a rainy sky, which reminded her that she loved his sunny aura so much better than this guilty and sad one.

"You need to have more faith in me, Naruto," she told him. "I was planning on moving out there moment I became a Genin. It sucks there. The kids are assholes. The grownups are mean. I mean, if all adults grow up that mean, than I don't wanna ever get old."

She let go of his face and watched as he glanced down at her badly injured legs and the bruise just below her eye. "I'm sorry Shion. I wasn't any help."

She blinked for a moment before shaking her head. "I'll admit, your lack of following my orders was annoying, but you weren't supposed to be able to help, Naruto. You are younger than me."

He looked offended, his lips curling into a rather cute looking frown as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Am not!" Naruto exclaimed, shoving his pointer finger in her face. She slapped it away with a roll of her eyes.

"Are too. I'm older and stronger and smarter," she retorted, and he grew more annoyed.

"Are not! I'm going to be Hokage so I'm stronger," he replied and her brows knitted together.

"That doesn't even make sense," she argued and he shook his head, reminding her of his very disagreeable personality.

"Yes it does! I'm going to be Hokage, dattebayo," he retorted and she slightly bit her tongue, her eyes narrowing in irritation.

"I'm older. I'll be Hokage and you can be my henchman," she replied, not voicing that she'd rather eat a pile of poopie than sit in a chair all day and run a village. _Does the Hokage even get missions? Fuck that._

"Nah uh, I'll be the Hokage, dattebayo and then I'll fire you from being Hokage," he retorted and she gasped.

"You can't fire me from my hypothetical job," she exclaimed and almost immediately one of the hospital doors slid open and a old woman peaked out.

"I am trying to get my beauty sleep, will you two kindly shut the fuck up?" The woman's voice was snippy and almost immediately, Shion's face went from angry to chipper.

"Naruto, we should use our inside voices, grandma obviously hasn't slept for years," Shion said, loud enough for the woman to hear.

Naruto giggled and it took the woman a couple seconds after Shion had walked back into her room and slipped on a dress that Tsukasa had left for her for the woman to realize she had been insulted. By that time she had already stepped back into her room and got in bed.

Shion forced herself not to limp as she walked back towards where Naruto was waiting, rather impatiently. Her lips were curled into a bright smile that matched well with her curly pink hair, outlining her dimples. "I have to go meet my sensei, but how about we meet up tomorrow morning. Let's say seven. I'll train you."

"Seven in the morning?" His nose crinkled as if he just smelt something foul.

"Better get used to it. I hear the Hokage doesn't sleep," she informed him, watching his lips flap open like a fish out of water. "Sure you can handle it?"

He looked offended and almost immediately pointed at her with an angry expression, "just watch, dattebayo, I'll be awake all night."

_Oh my god, he actually might._ "How about you just get to bed early and wake up on time?" He didn't hear her, too busy walking away, focused on staying up the entire night. Shion bit her bottom lip, "What an idiot."

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"Never fear! Shion is here," Shion greeted Tsukasa with an innocent smile that only earned an unamused deadpan in reply.

"Yes. Signified by how late you are," she retorted, rolling her eye. "Like always."

"You'd be late too if you had to hobble," Shion grumbled under her breath. Tsukasa's eye narrowed and she placed a delicate hand behind her ear, signifying the girl to speak up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that. Care to repeat-" Tsukasa didn't get a chance to finish before Shion interrupted.

"I said, you would be late too if you had to hobble," Shion exclaimed, her lips curled into a slight grin.

"Well," Tsukasa took a rather threatening step forward, and for a moment Shion grew worried that the training would suddenly involve running laps. "That's probably because the medical team in this village is trash." Tsukasa bent down, her hand glowing green as she hovered it over Shion's leg.

"You're not further messing with my leg, right?" Shion found that the green Chakra that the woman emitted was warm and soothing to her nerves. Almost immediately she felt the sensation of a warm bath, with that relaxing feeling spreading to the tips of her toes. Tsukasa's fingers moved, the Chakra dancing in between them. Shion did notice, however, that the longer she used the Jutsu, the paler and paler Tsukasa got. She didn't get to observe it long, as the next second, the Jutsu was deactivated and Tsukasa's complexation came back.

"Burns aren't too difficult to heal if you know how. Did they even treat the sore muscles?" she said, standing up and taking out a pocket watch.

"If you know so much, why don't you teach it to the staff?" Shion asked, but Tsukasa ignored the question as she dangled a watch out in front of her on a medium length chain. "I don't get it."

"You have a knack for learning. Your Genjutsu skills at the moment are the weakest." The watch swished back and forth right before the pink haired girl's eyes. At first, she didn't pay much attention, but soon enough, the ticking got louder until she could hear it pounding in her skull. The beautiful silver watch glinted in the small bit of sunlight that melted through the trees. Her eyes followed it back and forth, unaware of anyone else near her. "Listen to the sound of my voice." Shion couldn't _not_ listen. It was everywhere and surrounding her in a cocoon. "Do you hear the ticking. How it synchronizes with that steady heartbeat. Now look into my eye." Shion's gaze snapped back towards Tsukasa, noticing the steady and emotionless eye. It was surrounded by a dark Chakra, but Shion took no notice to it. "Look directly into its center."

Shion's body was limp, but the woman's voice was too calm to make Shion panic.

"You are completely relaxed. Your eyes are heavy." The ticking was deafening, but Tsukasa's voice was louder. "When I snap my fingers, you will fall."

Shion fell to the ground when she heard the snap of Tsukasa's fingers, her slightly injured arm stinging in pain at the motion. It didn't bother her and the pain was empty.

Tsukasa closed the pocket watch and the ticking stopped. This forced Shion's consciousness to spill back in, and she blinked away the haze. "What was that?"

"Hypnotism," Tsukasa answered, kneeling forward. "With a bit of Genjutsu, I could essentially make anyone do whatever I want. Would you like to learn it?"

"I feel so violated," Shion said slowly, watching as her sensei's lips curled into a smile.

"Would you like to learn it?" she asked again, this time slower.

"Definitely!"


	12. Adventure

ADVENTURE

Chapter Eleven

**SHION HADN'T EXPECTED HIM TO ARRIVE ON TIME WHEN SHE AWOKE EARLY FOR** training that very morning. With that being said, she remained unsurprised when Naruto was not there to greet her at the training grounds. Likely, he forgot, so she quickly grinned and turned on her steps towards the orphanage that she hoped to never see again. It was all so morbid when she arrived, finding the building looking more like a prison than a home. She felt a moment of guilt that Naruto still remained there, before deciding there was ultimately nothing she could do about it at the moment.

She walked closer to the boys dormitory and felt her leg for soreness, finding it weird how with five minutes of Tsukasa's Jutsu, all of the pain practically went away. It was weird because Tsukasa's knowledge of medicine was advanced, and her skills were above the medical staff that initially treated her. Shion forgot all about it when she jumped up towards the the orphanage, digging her Chakra into her feet in order to stick before she rushed up and jumped through one of the windows of boys section. Luckily, some kid left it open, likely to add some air to the very hot rooms filled with growing boys.

When Shion glanced into the room towards sleeping kids, she saw that she couldn't see Naruto at first glance. This forced her to step further into the room and jump onto the ceiling and stick to the spiky ceiling with her Chakra. She glanced down, seeing lines of kids, but no Naruto. Finally she glanced towards the side of the room where a bed was basically pushed so far out of the way that no one could notice it. It was next to a drafty window and a bunch of spider webs. There rested Naruto, visibly far from the other kids.

Shion jumped towards it, landing on all fours before seeing that they had given him the itchy blankets with holes, much too thin for the winter, but too damaged for the summer. Shion glanced at the other kids, seeing they all had much newer and better looking sheets. She shook her head, grabbing an empty ramen container with a frown at Naruto's messiness. She chucked it at his head, and it bounced off and hit the ground. Naruto's eyes cracked open with a groan, causing her to smile as she leaned over the bed and watched his gaze move tiredly and in a daze before finally resting on her. He jumped, falling off the bed with a thump and hitting his head.

Her head tilted with a soft smile, kneeling down and placing her finger against her lips to shush him. "I'm here to wake you up."

"I wasn't sleeping, dattebayo," he quickly shouted, and she shushed him one more time, glancing over towards the sleeping boys who looked like even an earthquake would not get them to leave their beds at 7:30 in the morning.

"Training to become a Hokage...I would have thought it meant more than you," she told him, standing up. "And here I thought—ah I overestimated you and your resolve."

"I will become Hokage!" Naruto stood up to shout it, causing one of the boys closest to his bed to groan, forcing a pillow over his head to cover up the shout.

"Shut up Naruto!" The boy shouted this as he turned over in his bed to get away from the sound that Naruto brought with him.

"Then get dressed. Brush your teeth. Lets teach you something worth it all," she told him, and he nodded his head, dashing towards the bathroom, almost running straight into the door. She watched him slam it behind him, and more kids groaned at the noise and made Shion slightly understand why they pushed his bed to the worst corner of the room. However, she doubted that was the only reason as to why.

She walked over to the boy clutching his blanket and tore it off of him, he tiredly attempted to find it again, and she quickly tossed Naruto's crummy blanket on top of him. She then stealthily swapped the pillows and made Naruto's bed before noticing that Naruto's bed was the only one of all of them to have rickety wood that looked only a couple days away from crumbling. She crossed her arms, but didn't get a chance to fix it when Naruto walked out.

"Did you brush your teeth?" she asked, and he nodded eagerly with a 'yep'. "Wash your face?" He repeated his nod. "Pee?" He walked back into the bathroom with a frown.

She glanced out the window with a solemn expression replacing her normal smile but her smile was back when Naruto walked back into the room. She gave him a once over before she picked up some bright orange pants from the ground and tossed them his way. He didn't catch it and the pants fell onto the ground.

"Put some pants on you nasty," she told him, and he blushed and shoved his small legs into his pants. He still looked half asleep on his feet, so Shion took a step forward, grabbing his face in between his hands. "What is your goal?"

He looked confused for a moment, and uncomfortable since she was smooshing his cheeks in between her hands. "To be Hokage?"

"Say it like you mean it!" Shion exclaimed, not mindful of the noise. Naruto's eyes were wide and blue, and slowly his lips spread into a grin.

"To be Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed, and she nodded her head.

"What is your goal?" Shion asked again, and he didn't miss a beat.

"I will become Hokage, dattebayo!" Naruto's voice boomed and echoed, causing many of the other boys to finally stir and shoot the two kids with a glare that could melt ice. Unfortunately, Shion was steel.

"Will you two _shut the fuck up_!" One of the boys screamed out, ducking under his pillow and attempting to block out Shion and Naruto's voice.

"You are talking to your future Hokage! Speak with respect!" Shion exclaimed, grabbing Naruto's hand with a grin. The boy's eyes were still wide and blue, and it was like looking into the sky. "Come on Naruto. Unless you work hard, nothing will change." Shion jumped onto the open window seal, high up on the wall, with one swift motion. Naruto glanced up at her, and she wondered if he could make that jump.

She didn't get long into her thoughts as he attempted, but she saw he wasn't going to make it so she used her Chakra to stick to the wall and reached out to grab his hand and toss him out the window. He flopped onto the ground with a painful looking bounce.

She jumped down next to him, landing on one foot. "You were supposed to stick the landing, Naruto."

"Who pushes people out of buildings, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, and she raised her hands in defense.

"Sorry, Naruto. I've seen you stick better landings than that when we were defacing the Hokage monument. Thought you could hand this," she explained, and he grew red. "Besides. I threw you out, not push."

"I wasn't ready, dattebayo," he said, pointing at her. She swiped away his hand with a frown.

"Well, a lesson has been learned," she told him. "Lets go. I think the first thing you need to work on is Taijutsu."

"My Taijutsu is perfect," he retorted, and she pressed her finger against her bottom lip before she swiftly swiped her leg under his and watched him fall and stumble on his butt. "Stop hitting me when I'm not ready!"

"If your Taijutsu was perfect, your reflexes would have reacted before I could get close enough," she told him, standing straight. Slowly, she grinned. "You know, it's not a bad thing to not be good at something. That's what training is for. We can't all be prodigies who have natural talent. Some of us have to work hard to get there."

Naruto stared up at her with those innocent eyes. "I will work hard."

He sounded so earnest, that she she almost felt bad for what was to come. "I know that, Naruto." She began to stretch, pulling her arm over her chest in the middle of a squat. "Lets go for a jog."

"Running?" Naruto's face paled.

"Step one to any training Naruto," Shion told him, her voice light and playful, but her eyes were serious. "It's to run. It's to build up your stamina. For fucks sake Naruto. Stretch."

"I don't need stretching, dattebayo."

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"Lets go for a run Naruto!" Shion shook Naruto awake the next morning, but all she got was a tired groan.

"I can't move dattebayo. Go away," Naruto ordered, and Shion gasped.

"Go away?" Shion shook her head.

"I wish you both would go away," one of the other boys muttered into his pillow.

Shion patted Naruto's head with a smile. "Rest up, Naruto."

With her morning plans shot, she had a chance to see the familiar conditions of the dorm, from the broken door to the infestation of mice. No one cared about the orphans of this village, and they always got scraps of food. Being a ninja was actually one of the only ways to become something new. At least, it was the only way for her become anyone else.

The only way she could help Naruto was to make him strong, that way he could leave too.

Then again, as great as that sounded... "Sounds like it would take too long," Shion muttered as she walked out the front door, and it seemed like she had forgotten why she had taken back exits and didn't realize until madam Ushimi made eye contact.

"You! Where are the pillows and bedsheets? I know you've been stealing them!" Ushimi took out her deadly ruler and Shion's eyes widened, almost immediately jumping and sticking to the ceiling when she used her Chakra to fill her veins. "You ninja think you are above the law, but I'll do everything in my power to make you pay for your crimes."

"Fuck, Ushimi. They're pillows. Chill," Shion jumped towards one of the high windows and rammed her foot into the glass, causing it to shatter.

"That window will cost you 800 ryo!" Ushimi screamed, and her ruler flew from her grasp as she tossed it at Shion with rather deadly accuracy and caused it to lodge into the window seal just as Shion dodged.

"You're crazy, Mimi!" Shion jumped onto the ground with a slowly forming grin as she began to walk towards the trees, heading to the Hokage's building in the middle of the village. Her wounds had healed up almost completely, and she was rather restless in the village now that Tsukasa had taken a sabbatical or something.

Thus, Shion decided to find her own daily task to pass the time, since obviously, Naruto was less than willing to wake up early and train. When she made it to the building, she let out a long, bored sigh before climbing up the steps and telling the ninja guarding the door to let her pass or she'd egg his house again.

"I am so sick of your face," the ninja muttered, and Shion grinned and walked past him.

The room was rather empty, except for Iruka who was overlooking mission reports and looking dead on his feet with her never ending and relentless pestering in the form of the wailing of a Budgett's frog. It was a sound that she only recently perfected, and judging by the deep bags under Iruka's eyes, it was very effective.

"Iruka-sensei! My friend!" Shion exclaimed, watching as Iruka visibly shuddered at her call, and it only slightly hurt her feelings considering she only had the utmost respect for him.

"If I ask nicely, would you lower your voice?" Iruka asked, rubbing his temples and that only further caused Shion to smile.

"Iruka, we're pals. You don't even need to ask," she said this, but her voice hadn't actually changed volume, and she merely lowered it to a pitch so husky that it could probably push a sleigh.

"What do you want?" Iruka asked, and Shion gave him a slight smile, showing off her dimples as she hopped in front of his desk, nearly blowing away the papers as she did. Her hands pressed up against the wood and she leaned forward so she could rest her elbows against the surface.

"I'm bored. Misaki is deformed-"

"A broken limb doesn't equal deformity-"

"And Tsu-sensei just up and ditched so she could spend time with her boyfriend-"

"You shouldn't spread rumor-"

"AND, to top it all off, I haven't had a mission in like a month-"

"It was actually a week and-"

"It's not nice to interrupt," Shion said, giving him another sweet dimpled smile. "So, I was thinking, what's a girl gotta do to get a mission around here and I came to the conclusion-"

"We don't give solo missions to Genin," Iruka told her, causing Shion's bottom lip to tremble.

"Iruka, I'm hurt. I'm not asking for a solo mission," Shion told him, and he leaned back in his chair. His eyes narrowed and the area of skin that rested underneath the scar across his nose slightly crinkled.

"You're not...?" Iruka sounded unsure, but he had never been able to get a read of the girl. She was always rambunctious and loud and immature, which was why he protested so heavily against her becoming a Genin so young. Unfortunately, he was also very overruled and he suspected that Shion was bitter at him for the whole matter.

"No, of course not," Shion leaned closer, not minding that she nearly knocked over his small statue of a dog that said 'bark for the best teacher'. "I don't want a _solo_ mission. I want to duo mission. Just me and Hikaru."

"Absolutely not. Tsukasa Izana should be back in a couple days. Wait for her," Iruka tried to shoo the girl away with his hand, but she didn't even flinch.

"Iruka, I need stimulation. Adventure. I could die. Do you want me to die?" Shion's eyes were very earnest and it was abundantly clear to Iruka that she wasn't about to leave easily.

"At the moment?" _Maybe..._

"It doesn't have to be a big adventure. Hey, I'll settle. I'm a settler. Anything, Iruka. I'll take it." Shion smiled once more as Iruka sighed and shuffled through some small cards, glancing up at her as he did, probably hoping that she would leave.

"Fine. I have just the mission."

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"Hikaru! We have a mission!" Shion said as Hikaru answered the door with a sleepy yawn, looking as if he had just woken up. Judging by the disheveled attire and the way his pupil-less eyes were unfocused, she imagined he was very sleepy.

"What are you doing in my house?" Hikaru said mid yawn.

"Your mom let me in. Thanks Hyuuga-san!" Shion shouted loud enough that the Hyuuga woman could hear and Hikaru could flinch.

"What do you mean we have a mission? It's my vacation."

"Oh that? No, that's all over. We gotta buckle down and get serious."

"What did you do?"

"What didn't I do? I saved you from this misery," Shion told him, lips still in the shape of a grin that looked a moment too evil to Hikaru's sleep deprived eyes.

"I was sleeping. Come on, I haven't even had breakfast yet," Hikaru whined, but Shion wouldn't hear of it as she stormed past him and began to pack his things. She even picked out his outfit while he tried not to fall asleep against the door frame.

"Hikaru, you only live once. Let's live it together," Shion said, holding out the weirdest combination of an outfit that looked like she grabbed it from Hell itself, and topped it with his late father's most hideous hat.

"Did no one ever teach you about fashion," Hikaru stormed past her and grabbed his own clothes, ignoring Shion's frown.

"I thought it looked nice."

"You clashed the colors, Shion!"

"Clashing is good! It's a sign of power. Like the clash of blades."

"You didn't even pick out shoes. Those are slippers."

"I thought you were tired. I wanted to make the transition easier."

"If you were so concerned about my feelings, we wouldn't be on this mission in the first place you noodle!"

After about twenty minutes of arguing, the two finally made it downstairs to see Hikaru's mother preparing a meal for breakfast. It had an aroma so sweet that Shion paused, almost as if her legs were made of lead. "Is that food?"

"Yes, but it won't be ready for another forty minutes. I just started darling," Hikaru's mother had the voice of an angel and the eyes of a beauty. Shion took a step towards her, nearly forgetting about the mission in a moment of hungry weakness. This was not seen kindly by Hikaru, who tapped his foot lightly against the ground.

"If you were so quick to give up on a mission, why wake me up?" Hikaru asked, and Shion glanced away from his mother chopping up the vegetables. "What is the mission anyway?"

"We are guarding an important son of a lord!" Shion almost immediately jumped up with enthusiasm as she repeated what Iruka told her. Hikaru was more than a little skeptical, and he crossed his arms, but followed Shion when she began to walk out of the house. He said for his mom to save him some food, before he slipped on his shoes by the door and followed Shion out of the complex.

Like with all strangers, many of the Hyuuga gave Shion dirty looks as if she were trespassing, but Shion paid no mind. "Guarding him from what?" Hikaru's question caused Shion to turn towards him and walk much too quickly, but backwards. She did manage to skillfully dodge any oncoming traffic in a rather graceful way, as if her back wasn't turned towards the world.

"According to my sources," and by sources she of course meant Iruka, "his name is Kinnosuke Toshio. He is an important lord who is always at risk for bad people to come after him."

"Is that right? Why would they give that mission to us?"

"They must have finally recognized my prowess and skill on the battlefield," Shion laughed into band, already prepared for a fight.

"What battlefield? You been in two battles and I'm pretty sure you fainted at the end of both of them," Hikaru reminded her and she paused.

"You're just jealous that you're as boring as a bag of bricks!"

"What rank did you say this mission was?"

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"Great mission huh?" Hikaru said, or more like grumbled as he scowled straight ahead.

"What was I supposed to do. You would have fallen for it too."

"Why wouldn't you suspect something was wrong if you hear the mission is D rank."

"I thought missions levels had changed when I was out into the world."

"You were gone like a couple days at most," Hikaru reminded her, causing Shion to shake her head, letting out a sigh. She pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face, shoving back the pink strand as she watched the son of a lord shove down one of the Hokage statues in the lobby.

"I still don't deserve this. I wanted an adventure with fighting and a damsel in distress," Shion gave a scrutinized glance towards Hikaru. "Actually, I suppose I already have a damsel. You."

"You say some really hurtful things sometimes," Hikaru told her, crossing his arms.

"Play with me! I'm bored!" Kinnosuke Toshio screamed, knocking down another statue.

"I'm going to be honest with you," Shion began, prompting Hikaru to glance towards towards her as he waited for her to finish her sentence. However, she was no where to be seen, leaving him with a very destructive kid.

"What a bitch," Hikaru muttered.


	13. Do You Believe In Fairies?

DO YOU BELIEVE IN FAIRIES  
Chapter Twelve

**SHION WAS EATING BARBECUE WHEN HIKARU STROLLED UP,** his face blotchy with red spots and his hair messy. He didn't say anything when he sat right across from her, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared her down, waiting for her to speak first. The moment he thought she would, she only grabbed another piece of barbecue and took a bite.

"I'm keeping all the the mission money," Hikaru said, watching as she finished chewing and took a napkin to tap against her lips as if she were a proper lady.

"I got paid my share in advance," Shion told him, and he almost immediately leaped across the table to strangle her, but his arms slipped right through her as if she were a ghost. In fact, even the BBQ plate was an illusion. He glanced around her favorite restaurant and saw that she was eating in the corner, her eyes trained on a book.

He slowly sat back down and placed his head into his arms and quietly sobbed. He heard her sit across from him with a soft smile.

"What's wrong, Hikaru?" Shion had the nerve to ask, and he cried a bit louder, just for dramatic effect. It caused many of the other occupants of the room to glance over at the two with a trace of worry and confusion.

"I just..." Hikaru sniffed, and Shion prompted him to continue. "Hate you so much."

"That hurts my feelings. I mean. I wrote the mission report for you," Shion said, brushing away a likely fake tear from the corner of her eyes.

Hikaru peeked out through his arms when she dug through her brown, leather satchel. She pulled out a scroll, and broke the seal. She opened it in one big swoop and he glanced towards the drawing, each one intricately done to show Hikaru being tormented by Toshio. The kid was also an academy student back in Suna, so Hikaru didn't get it off easy in watching him, especially when the kid pulled out his kunai and decided that Hikaru was the best target.

One of the largest shuriken even managed to nick Hikaru's favorite shirt, and now it had a giant tear in it. His mother was going to be pissed. "You weren't even there, how did you know all this?"

Shion glanced up, bits of pink curls cupping her cheeks as she gave him the sweetest of smiles that didn't feel very kind. She pressed her finger on a spot of one of the pictures and when Hikaru squinted, he saw the very intricate drawing of her drawing that very scene. "Inception."

"I miss Misaki," Hikaru whined and Shion gasped. "You're the worst Shion. Are you a demon?"

"If that's how you feel, then I'm collecting all the money," Shion said, and he watched her begin to roll up the scroll.

"Not this time," he leapt across the table once more, but his arms slipped right through her body.

"Yeah I left the moment you came in," Shion told him and he sunk down in despair, placing his head into his hands.

"I just want to go home," he sobbed.

"There, there," Shion told him, before her Genjutsu disappeared completely.

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"You know, Iruka," Shion said as she approached Iruka that Saturday evening, her mission scroll in hand before she set it down in front of him. Hikaru was likely sobbing in the restaurant to the Genjutsu that Itachi taught her a few days prior.

"Shion, honorifics are important," Iruka reminded her, but she brushed off his comment when she handed him the mission report. "If there are any pictures on this, Shion I swear to-" Iruka opened it and saw just many words. "Shion, I'm proud of you. This is a huge step and—wait. This isn't a mission report. What is-?"

"Oh my bad. That's my erotic novel," Shion giggles, grabbing it from Iruka's steady hands while his face froze in horror. "Wow, sensei, chill. I'm not even a teenager yet. It's a joke. I just wrote random gibberish to throw you off. Here's my mission report." She handed him a different scroll, and noticed he was still nervously steady when he took it from her hands and began to unravel the tie that settled around it. "Complete with illustration."

"Shion," Iruka let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing his temples.

"Money please." She held out her hands and watched him reluctantly set an envelope in her palms.

"Shion, you have to take your missions seriously," Iruka reminded her and she shrugged, counting the money in the envelop as she began to turn to walk away.

"I'm very serious," she told him, but his voice made her pause.

"Shion, you're very strong. I'm not saying that you're not, but if you don't buckle down, there will be consequences, no matter how strong you are. Do you understand me?" Iruka asked and watched her deadpan stare as she looked at him from over her shoulder. It was one of the few times when he saw her gaze grow unfocused, if not emotionless.

Quickly, as if in a daze, her grin was back. "Got it, Iruka. Advice noted." She returned to skipping out of the building, contemplating the barking noises she would use to keep him up all night.

She caught sight of Itachi and Tsukasa approaching the building and almost immediately she rushed over to them. They both glanced down at the envelope in her hand with a raised brow. Tsukasa's eye slightly narrowed and she tilted her head to the side.

"Well, haven't you been busy?" Tsukasa said, and Shion smiled, rocking back and forth in her heels.

"Just a mission. It was eventful. I did all the work of course," Shion said, glancing towards Itachi with a hopeful expression. "Itachi-sensei, I used a Genjutsu on Hikaru and he fell for it twice."

"Shion." Itachi's eyes slightly widened and he glanced towards Tsukasa who had frozen and was a bit too quiet.

"Did she just call you 'sensei'?" Tsukasa's eye was rather expressive when she began to grow angry and Itachi rubbed his temples.

"Tsukasa, I swear," Itachi began to defend himself but Tsukasa disappeared in a swirl of leaves. "Wonderful."

"Well, sensei, that went well." Shion rocked back and forth on her heels. "Where were you two anyway? I wanted to train."

"Sorry, Shion, maybe another time," Itachi said, patting her head and turning to walk away.

"Okay sensei!" Shion exclaimed, and watched as Itachi paused for a split second before he continued walking. Shion snickered, turning on her heel to visit Misaki.

The walk to the hospital was a long one, especially since Shion had the striking suspicion that she was being followed. It wasn't the pitter patter of footsteps, since so many people were around her and she couldn't distinguish between steps. It was, instead, the hair sticking up at the back of her neck that alerted her to something that made her skin crawl. However, no matter how many times she turned around to confront the mysterious shadow, she was met with empty air and confused citizens who jumped when the short girl spun around and stopped walking.

For the last ten minutes of the walk, Shion spent the time in paranoia. By the time she actually opened the door to Misaki's room, she was already more than ready to go home. The inside was bright, and Shion was nearly blinded by the light as she crept inside, not even bothering to attempt to knock. Misaki glanced up from her pudding that she was having trouble eating with one hand, and her face almost immediately settled into a mixture of wanting to scowl at her, and smile for the company.

It made everything awkward, or at least it would have if Shion knew how to properly detect the changes in emotions or atmosphere. Unfortunately, the girl did not know a thing about what she would consider adult behaviors, and she had little interest in learning them. "I heard you were going to die."

Misaki sat up quickly, her eyes widening in freight as she glanced towards Shion. "What? Who told you that? Oh god, I knew it was infected."

"Sad life," Shion agreed, walking up and taking her chart that rested at the bottom of her bed. Misaki had never considered reading it, and settled for enjoying her pudding and grapes instead. It had been foolish of her to not seek out her fate. "It's as I feared."

"What is it? Rip off the bandaid," Misaki whispered, squeezing her eyes shut and flinching when Shion began to speak.

"You suffer from gulliable-itus. It is treatable but unfortunately there is no cure," Shion said with a very convincing and serious expression on her face, that made Misaki nod her head and not truly process the words.

"I should have known, of course—wait," Misaki paused, glancing back up and brushing off the fact that she nearly began to sob. Shion broke out into laughter, covering her face with the chart. "You are an awful person."

"I mean, this chart is blank," Shion said in the midsts of her laughter before she tossed the clipboard to Misaki's covered feet. The blonde girl's face reddened as she grabbed the blank clipboard and tossed it at Shion's head. Shion ducked, still laughing, and the clipboard lodged into the wall across from Misaki's bed. Shion turned her head to give it a stare before letting out a soft whistle. "Wow, you don't play around."

"You're the reason I'm in here and now you're making fun of me," Misaki scolded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Me? I'm not the reason for anything you giant baby," Shion shot back, but her eyes were swimming with amusement that did not help the situation.

"I told you not to get involved. I told you that you weren't ready. I was right," Misaki complained, causing Shion to tilt her head, her brows furrowed before smoothing out.

"I can't do that," Shion said, and her voice was surprisingly serious. "If I didn't help at that moment, then who would have? I can't help it. It's just who I am."

"Well, it got me involved," Misaki told her, tightening her fist, feeling foolish for getting so upset considering everything worked out in the end.

"You jumped in without a regard to anything. We're not too different," Shion said with a grin, her face smoothing out as she did. "But instead of focusing on what we should have done in the past, why not, you know, just keeping living now."

Shion had a way of making arguments with her seem foolish and without purpose, so Misaki had no choice but to let some of her resentment go. However, she still continued crossing her arms, or at least attempting to with her arm in a splint.

"Why are you here? You're bothering me," Misaki told her, but Shion's smile didn't disappear as she reached into her bag and pulled out a bag of cookies. Misaki perked up, probably opening up a stitch or two when she leaned to get a better look. Shion immediately placed it back in her bag.

"I came to drop off a bit of cookies, but if I'm bothering you, I'll drop by the cancer ward," Shion stated, and turned on her heel to leave. Misaki felt her heart go with her as Shion walked out of the room and went straight for the ward where many sick children rested and some waited to die.

"I don't even like cookies," Misaki shouted from behind her. _I love them..._

Shion grinned, fondly remembering Misaki's heartbreak in her voice. Shion had made the cookies for the kids anyway and when she entered the room, she immediately saw her presence begin to light a spark in many of the familiar children's eyes. One of the nurses met her eye and sent her a slight smile. "Hey guys, miss me?"

"Remember, no exhausting games this time, Shion," the nurse warned her, causing many of the kids to let out a disappointed groan.

"I wouldn't think about it, Haruno-san," Shion promised, and the nurse's eyes slightly narrowed at the girl's compliant tone. The suspicious frown didn't make Shion's grin waver, and slowly the nurse nodded her head, the blonde bob of hair moving as she nodded. "I'm too exhausted for that anyway." Shion sent the kids a wink when Mebuki Haruno went to retrieve the paper work from the counter.

"Did you remember to sign in this time, Shion?" Mebuki asked, and Shion set her a toothy grin.

"Of course."

"Okay. Remember, they all have to get some rest tonight," Mebuki warned, sending the kids a rather mother-like smile. "Don't believe everything this one tells you this time." Mebuki placed her hand on Shion's head, ruffling the girl's hair before opening the sliding door to leave. "Remember. No sweets! If I see one pudding container I'm banning you."

"I would never sneak pudding!" Shion said, watching the sliding door close before taking out the bag filled with cookies. "They are way to conspicuous."

"I want two this time!" The exclamation was from a bright purple haired girl, Tamiko, who once had thick flowing locks of indigo, but now most of it was gone and she was just barely growing it back.

"Now guys, it has to be fair otherwise bad things happen," Shion scolded with a childish grin as she handed Tamiko a cookie.

"What bad things?" The voice of Ichigo asked her, using what little strength he had to sit up on his bed. Shion's lips spread into a mischievous grin.

"Do you believe in fairies?" Shion asked, handing him a cookie. She handed out the rest without a second thought.

"What's a fairy?" Ichigo asked, and Shion sat on the foot of his bed, reaching over to take out a small necklace from her bag. That was when she remembered that she had given it to Suigetsu. On the front was a small symbol of her clan, resembling a wing and on the back was the flower of her name. It was given to her by her father so long ago, and she was told that it granted wishes. She never had a wish, so it still remained in her care for so long. Still, thinking of Suigetsu made her sad, so she pushed that aside and hoped that he had a wish where she did not.

"My dad used to tell me of them. They come in through your window if you wish for it," Shion pointed to the closed window with her pointer finger. "For the kind kids, they take to a world far from this one. In that place, you can live forever."

Tamiko slightly gulped, being only four years old, she believed every word. Perhaps Shion once did too. "What about the unkind ones?"

"Oh?" Shion met her eyes, her hands doing a quick Jutsu behind her back. Her gaze turned devious and Tamiko couldn't look away for a moment. In the corner of her eyes, a shadow rose on the walls. Tamiko let out a banshee scream at the sight of the shadow of a large man, just as tall as the wall itself. It had claws and in the base of the shadow where the head would have been were two red eyes, staring back at her.

Shion let out a laugh, waving her hand over her eyes and the Genjutsu broke, the shadow disappeared.

"Bad things," Shion warned just as Mebuki Haruno ran in.

"I heard a scream, what happened? What do you do?" Mebuki's suspicious gaze ran to Shion, despite the laughter that had begun to descend on the other kids, including Tamiko.

"That was me," Shion said, grinning. "Saw a spider. Super scary."

"Is that so?" Mebuki looked suspicious, but none of the kids ratted the pink haired girl out to the nurse who was sure to turn vengeful if she knew the truth.

"It had twenty legs," Tamiko said with a grin.

"Really? Twenty." Mebuki was frowning, and Shion grinned.

"Perhaps there was more than one," Shion commented with a cheeky grin, showing off those innocent dimples. However, she couldn't hide the air of her mischievous gaze that lingered so calmly on Mebuki Haruno.

"Okay, that's enough. Come back next time and in the mean time consider obeying the directions I give you," Mebuki warned her with an equally stern glance towards the smaller girl.

The kids looked disappointed, some letting out groans that made Haruno feel a moment of guilt that disappeared the moment she saw they were all holding cookies.

"What are those?" Mebuki snatched a the cookie away from Ichigo's grip, causing the seven year old boy to pout. Mebuki immediately scowled at Shion who had slightly lost her smile. "Do you live to disobey my orders. They can't eat this Shion. It's not good for them."

"Wasn't me," Shion told her, twirling her toe against the floor in a shy manner that made one of the kids snicker. 

"She didn't," agreed one of the kids, warming Shion's heart that they were so quick to lie for her.

"Yeah? Then who did?" Mebuki asked, her stern gaze only hardening.

"Fairies?" Tamiko offered with a sheepish smile.

Mebuki let out a sigh, gazing up into the ceiling for a long and rather nerve wrecking moment. "Shion get out."

"Also, hypothetically speaking, the person who did make them, made sure they were sugar free and packed with oats." Mebuki's scowl deepened. "Alright, I'm going," Shion agreed without a fuss, causing all the kids to whine. However they quieted down when she sent them all a wink. "I should go home and really sit down and think about my actions."

"Sarcasm is irritating. Just go," Mebuki ordered, and Shion nodded.

●▬▬▬Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ▬▬▬●

"Naruto, just person I was looking for," Shion greeted, placing her palms against the boy's shoulders and making him spill his ramen into his lap. Shion hopped on the stool next to him, her eyes sweeping over the boy sporting a black eye with her narrowed gaze. "What happened to you? Have you been bullied? Just wait until I get ahold of them. I promise they will scream."

Naruto slightly smiled, but winced when the pressure curled the skin around his eye in a slightly painful way. "This? Shion-chan, this was from you. You punched me in the face yesterday."

"Oh..." Shion paused, not having remembered that detail when she got carried away during training. The silence was deafening, so Naruto filled the tension with the sound of him slurping his ramen all while he continued staring at her. "Hit me."

"What?" Naruto's gaze turned confused as he met her all too serious gaze.

"Hit me," she repeated, hopping off the stool and jumping in front of him, pointing to her eye where he had his purple bruise mirrored.

"Wha," Naruto slowly set down his bowl and the chief whose name Shion didn't remember then glanced their way.

"I'm giving you an opening. Come on hit me," Shion told him and he shook his head.

"I'm not gonna do that," he told her, watching her lips curl into a frown.

"Why not?"

"Cause we're friends, bakabayo."

"That's why you should hit me."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Friendship isn't supposed to make sense. Hit me."

"No. I don't want to, dattebayo."

"Oh?" Shion stood up straight, giving him a once over with her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I didn't realize I was talking to a sissy."

"What did you call me?" Naruto became livid without a thought as he stood up on his tippy toes to appear taller. It was not very effective and Shion merely raised a brow.

"You heard me. Sorry Naruto, I'm going to have to vote for someone else for Hokage cause I don't think you're up for it."

That got him to snap and he rushed to punch her, but her reflexes kicked in, causing her to duck and punch him in the gut. Naruto let out a loud "ow" and curled into himself.

"Oh my God Naruto I am so sorry," Shion immediately apologized and he scowled up at her, his blue eyes narrowed in anger. "So sorry..."

"Why did ya hit me, dattebayo?"

"You were coming at me with your fist. I panicked."

"You told me to!"

"Yeah..." Shion knelt down next to him, an apologetic smile on her face. "Forgive me. In fact, you get three hits."

"Leave me alone," Naruto whined.

"Naruto, hit me. I feel bad."

"No. I don't want to. I want to go home, dattebayo." Naruto's tone would have been final to anyone else, but Shion had a way about not caring what people tell her.

"You can't go home. I need your help," Shion informed him, causing him to send her a slight frown.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"An adventure. You will love it. Promise," she said, holding out her hand. He glanced down at it suspiciously before he slowly took it. He wasn't prepared, however, for her to her to send him a mischievous grin that made him doubt every promise she gave him.

●▬▬▬Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ▬▬▬●

"This isn't fun," Naruto told her as he helped carrying the bag of food that Shion spent all the money she earned on her last mission, including Hikaru's share.

Shion and Naruto stopped walking when they got in front of the hospital. She gave the window far up ahead a glance before turning towards Naruto with a smile. "If you don't complain, I'll teach you a technique." Her promise was met with silence as she grabbed his bag and began to walk up the wall.

"You'll teach me?" His eyes always looked so watery every time she gave him a promise meant for his benefit. It never failed to pull at her heartstrings and wish to help him with whatever he asked. Shion nodded.

"But until then, I'll climb up and you climb after me." Shion handed him the other end of the rope that was tied to her waist. "I think you will love Ichigo. His father worked directly under the fourth Hokage for years. He knows a lot about it."

That brightened Naruto's mood, but the boy's pride crushed that emotion from showing on his face. However, he did as she said and when she opened up the window to the kid's ward, Naruto came in right behind her.

"Shion!" The exclamation of one of the kids, Yama, made her smile. Most of the kids were sleeping, but at Yama's excited whisper, many sprung right up to greet her and Naruto who was standing rather awkwardly behind her.

"I was going to take the day off, maybe rest or torture my previous sensei, but Naruto wouldn't have it and begged for a bit of fun," Shion said, causing Naruto to frown as his memory of what actually went down was significantly different.

"What did you bring?" Tamiko asked, still sad that her cookie got taken away, along with all of the other kids.

"We have to be quiet," Shion said, turning to Naruto who had already began eating one of the bags of chips that she bought with an innocent glance up towards her. "Now, I was thinking that after we give all this junk food away, we perform a prank on the staff." That brightened Naruto's mood in a split second and he nodded.

It was only an hour later, after Shion and Naruto had finished filling a couple fluid pouches with water and goldfish, that Naruto glanced towards her. "I was wondering why we bought fish."

"I will stop by tomorrow to make sure all of them go to a good home instead of a toilet," Shion promised, glancing towards him. "Hey Naruto, idea, but how much do you hate living at the orphanage."

"It sucks, dattebayo," Naruto said with a grin as he smeared a bunch of stethoscopes with surgical lubricant.

"Then we should move you out."

"What?"

"Naruto, if you don't wanna stay there, then don't. I mean, you do have a choice."

"I do?"

"Okay, not in the legal sense, but who cares about the rules. I doubt you really do."

Naruto's blonde brows furrowed when Shion nonchalantly pecked the fluid bag with her lips where the fish swam around inside. "Where would I go?"

"With me of course. It would be cool. I mean I could steal all the bed sheets and pillows. Actually," Shion pressed her pointer finger against her chin. "With a bit of Genjutsu, I could even steal the bed. That could be our next mission."

"I...I could leave," Naruto's gaze dropped to the ground, his fists clenched at his side.

"Well, yeah, I mean the orphanage sucks and the caretakers are cows. It could just be me and you. What do you say, best friend?"

"Best friend?" His whisper made her tilt her head and go to reply, but the sound of a nurse's shriek from the bathroom made her freeze.

"Let's talk about this after we get out of here," she gave one of the fish a goodbye kiss from inside the fluid bag before she grabbed Naruto's hand.

He squeezed back without a thought.


	14. Come Away, Come Away

COME AWAY, COME AWAY  
Chapter Thirteen

**WITH HANDS DRAWN TOGETHER, AS IF IN A PRAYER, SHION** held the Jutsu without a thought. Her eyes were open wide, the Chakra funneling out and blanketing the room just as Itachi had taught her to do. Shion always had a natural gift for learning new techniques, and worked hard to maintain them. She trained her Chakra as she might a limb, and it did as she wished, but it helped that it was her versus a bunch of untrained orphans who wouldn't know the difference between a slide of the hand or a generous bit of Genjutsu.

Naruto glanced over towards the girl who gave the impression of blank meditation. Her eyes were rather unfeeling and for a second the room dropped down a couple degrees before her smile came back and she glanced towards him. "Okay. All you have to do is grab your shit and jump out the window. Don't worry about anyone seeing you. I've cast a genjutsu over this building."

"So I'm invisible. Can you see me?"

"You're not invisible, Naruto. I can see you. But Genjutsu just changes the perceptions of mind. In that way, you can control what a person sees or hears or even smells."

"So-"

"But it's very weak so try not make very much noise or fart."

"Oh."

"Gross Naruto," Shion wrinkled her nose with a frown.

"I got nervous."

"Okay. Now I will keep watch over the caretakers. Grab your shit and toss it out the window. They won't see it." Shion was glad that the room was empty, since she still wasn't completely certain she had enough Chakra to hold over so many. Also, she didn't actually know how even if she did. She only learned the basics from Itachi, and since then, she had practiced to make them work to the bare minimum. Naruto quickly grabbed his stuff and looped it in a ball before tossing it out the window without a second thought. "I'll get the bed."

"You're actually stealing the bed?" Naruto looked a bit nervous, but she gave him a smooth smirk.

"Naruto, that's the great thing about Ninjutsu. You see what you want, and then you take it," she told him and took out the sealing scroll she swiped from Tsukasa of whom she hoped would never find out.

Shion unraveled it on top of the bed, using the Chakra already embedded into the scroll and adding more so it could activate. However, she must of done something incorrectly because all that managed to go into the scroll was the mattress, leaving the bed frame behind.

"I failed," Shion commented, her brows knitted together and catching Naruto's attention after he finished tossing his stuff out the window, just near where a couple of kids from the orphanage were playing. He was surprised they didn't so much as turn the direction of the clothes that were tossed next to them, proving that Shion's Genjutsu remained in tact.

"All I need is a blanket, dattebayo."

Shion, not used to messing up, scowled at the scroll with an annoyed gaze. "I'll try again." She didn't give it a try as the headmistress peaked into the room and trained her eye to the missing mattress on the far end of the room. Her gaze didn't so much as register the fact that Naruto and Shion were still there.

"Who the hell would steal from an orphanage?" The headmistress ranted as she immediately walked out, and the two kids heard mutterings about telling the Hokage as she walked down the hallway.

"Orphans, obviously," Shion commented grabbing the scroll with a sigh.

"Let's go before we're caught, Shion." Naruto grabbed her hand and dragged her to the window.

They jumped out and gathered all of Naruto's items in the box she left behind in its lonesome. Naruto went to lift it, but Shion beat him to it and grabbed it from his clutching palms. He pouted, as if she had just emasculated him. "Oh, no. I need to get a workout this morning since I sacrificed my morning jog for this."

"You didn't ask me to go on a jog," Naruto complained, and she slightly smiled.

"Well, I've seen you run Naruto," Shion told him and he frowned. "You couldn't keep up with me in a million years."

"Oh yeah? I'll race you, dattebayo," he exclaimed and she raised her brow.

"Oh? Do you know where my apartment is?" Shion asked and his smile instantly dropped. "That's what I thought."

"I'll beat you Shion, just wait. I'll surpass you on my way to being Hokage," Naruto said and she glanced at him. He expected her to get competitive and shout at him, but her smile was rather modest.

"I should hope so. I'd hate to have a Hokage who wasn't stronger than me. I mean. Imagine how embarrassing that will be. If so, I might have to become Hokage myself." Even though she was joking, as she walked forward, her nose wrinkled at the idea as it sounded incredibly annoying and boring. She couldn't imagine staying in an office all day and being constantly swarmed with paperwork. She couldn't imagine being responsible for so many people and being blamed for things that weren't in her control or having to sacrifice all her time to the job that didn't reap any personal benefits.

No, for her to be satisfied, she needed the thrill and she had a deeply implanted yearn for battle. Just the thought of the fight fueled her.

Naruto, of course, didn't know that and he took it as if he had a rival for a throne. "You become Hokage? No way, dattebayo. I will surpass you! I vow it."

Shion's smile grew rather gentle as she turned around to walk backwards, skillfully weaving through the crowds of people as if she had eyes on the back of her head. "I believe in you then! I'll help you do it. I won't rest until you can achieve your dream." Her promise made his cheeks enflame.

"Oh we're here," Shion said again, glancing towards the entrance of the red light district. She caught sight of drunken fools giving her a once over and then looking towards Naruto and sneering. Naruto slightly shrunk back from behind her, but she grabbed his arm, taking her hand off the box and holding it with one hand. People in this part of town made no effort to avoid their confusing dislike of the boy behind her, and obviously he could see that mood fall over the kids. She pulled him in front of her. "Don't hide if you did nothing wrong."

Naruto was silent for the rest of the way, not even complaining when she made them take the stairs up the apartment complex. Finally when they were inside her empty apartment, he made a sound. "Why do they hate me so much?"

Shion paused, glancing over him for a moment as her brows furrowed. She didn't actually know. They muttered something about a demon sometimes, but for the most part, crowds were rather vague about the 'why' of it all. She never spared him a glance in the past and never attempted to help him before, so she never really got into learning it all.

Shion set the box down and turned towards him as she closed her door. "Does it really matter?"

He glanced up, surprised and she simply tilted her head, taking out the sealing scroll. She placed it on the ground and unraveled it, in one quick motion she then activated it. However, she was unprepared for the mattress to slam into her face.

"In my opinion, why they hate you isn't important. Make friends who don't," she told him, and glancing over at his sunken cheeks and watery blue eyes. She rubbed her sore nose, thankful he didn't really see her mistake. "People are stupid. When you're big and strong, they will acknowledge you and apologize for being so stupid."

"Will you help me be big and strong?" Naruto asked and Shion grinned.

"Only if you actually wake up for your lessons."

"I will, dattebayo!"

The next morning, however, the kid was dead asleep. Shion tried to stir him awake with no luck. Without Naruto at her side, she left for her morning ritual of running, practicing her aim, and other sorts of training activities. However, her morning ritual was interrupted when she saw some black haired kid training in her spot. Shion, very attached to her training spot, almost immediately felt her day begin to suck.

Shion sighed, watching him use the training dummies she set up for target practice in the high tops of the trees. He, of course, missed since his aim was trash. He tried a couple more times to get all of them, but they began to move when the gusts of wind hit. Shion could right away tell that he was getting frustrated, and she frowned as his stance was a bit too calculated and stiff. She wondered if he even knew how to relax.

"You're doing it wrong. To get them all at once is a matter of math," Shion said, watching him jump and catch her off guard when he tossed a shuriken in her direction. She caught it in between her fingers with a pout. She then noticed that the Shuriken had a symbol of the Uchiha clan, etched into the metal. To her, that seemed like a waste of time considering Shuriken were just going to get lost one way or another. Also, who wanted a weapon that can be traced right back to you?

"Who are you?" The boy asked and his attitude immediately fit that spikey hair of his. Shion sighed, still disappointed to lose her spot, but she grinned nonetheless.

"I'm Shion. Who are you?"

"What's your clan?"

"I'm my own clan, thank you very much," Shion retorted, holding her chest as if his question physically repelled her. She went to toss the Shuriken his way, for a moment pausing before she threw since she doubted that he could catch it. Instead she tossed it at his feet, deciding she didn't want to be made responsible for such an accident once again.

"Well, I don't need your help. You can leave. I'm doing fine," he said, his pride slipping through his voice and she shrugged.

"Well, I'm just glad that if someone is going to be tossing weapons at them, at least they will miss. I'd hate to have to re-stuff them with straw," Shion said, catching his attention and his irk.

"I didn't miss all of them!"

"Just remember, it's all about math when you first begin. Don't be lazy. Do the math." Shion said, and the jumped up, spinning in mid air and tossing five kunai. Two of the dummies were too far right to hit the mark, so when she threw the kunai, she made one ricochet off another. They all hit their mark, dead center in the middle.

The boy was staring with wide eyes the whole time before his hands clenched into fists. "My brother does it better!"

"So what?" Shion said with a grin, and turning his way once more as she walked backwards to leave. "Beats not being able to do it at all, right?" It took another moment for Shion to recognize the boy as Itachi's younger brother.

The boy had a lot of anger in his eyes for someone so young. It made her feel bad for a second, wondering what he had to be so angry about.

"Try relaxing a bit before you throw. Your shoulders are too stiff," Shion suggested.

"I don't need your help. Go away," he told her and Shion's grin came back.

"Alright. Have fun, train hard."

After she left, Sasuke relaxed his shoulders.

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"But my doctor said to take it easy," Misaki complained after hearing from Tsukasa that the team was going to be experimenting with learning a new Jutsu. Hikaru, not having the best luck with Ninjutsu, slightly frowned.

"Misaki," Tsukasa said, her voice coming out rather soft as she stared the girl down. "You're going to be fine. These Jutsu are not difficult. Everyone has their own nature type, yours being water. That's a good type considering water has many healing factors."

"How do you know my Chakra type?" Misaki asked, but Tsukasa glanced towards Hikaru who was currently giving the silent treatment to Shion for her actions of stealing all of the mission money from before without doing any of the work. Shion didn't notice, and she continued to get excited for the thought of using Jutsu.

Of course, she was nervous too, considering she wasn't so great with Ninjutsu and it took her two months to walk up a tree. She was still learning how to walk on water, but lately had not had the time to perfect it due to missions, Naruto, and learning and practicing Genjutsu from Itachi. She also still dedicated a couple hours a day to studying and reading.

"Hikaru, your Chakra type is wind and Shion, yours is fire. Wind type Jutsu are not my speciality, but I prepared a couple lessons I am sure will benefit you eventually. Fire, however, I am quite skilled at."

Shion raised her hand, smiling at her teacher who glanced at her raised hand right down to her bright smile with a roll of her eye. "I have a question."

"Of course you do." Tsukasa Izana sent her student a deadpan, awaiting the girl to finish her thought.

"Just curious, what rank Jutsu are we gonna learn, cause teach, I'm ready for anything. Lay it on me," Shion said, causing Tsukasa Izana's deadpan to worsen as she stared down at her student with what could only be disdain. "Also, will be be using these Jutsu on bad guys in the near future?"

"Shion, I know that most teachers say that there's no such thing as a dumb question. That is something I adamantly disagree with. Shut your mouth."

"Wow, she's extra mean today," Shion whispered to Hikaru, who, in turn, sent her a deep scowl.

"Don't talk to me."

Shion only smiled and continued to listen to Tsukasa's lecture before she was finally assigned her Jutsu to practice at home after short instruction. Tsukasa had a value for self discipline and obviously didn't much enjoy walking her students through all the steps. This was something Shion could normally appreciate, even if it was to Hikaru and Misaki's intense dislike. 

Shion never liked to be walked through everything, and it made her feel much too coddled. Also, it took away the joy she found in gaining a new skill. However, this was not one of those times as the Jutsu that Tsukasa assigned her was a B ranked and did in fact give her much trouble. Her fingers were sore as she attempted to push through it all in order to perform the Jutsu in question. She could do a couple Earth type Jutsu, but most of them were very weak and mostly learned for petty tricks.

She laid back against the bank, the grass sinking into her skin as she heard the wind shuffle against the water. She figured that if she faced the water then, at the very least, no wildlife could be harmed. It was perhaps the only thing she was doing right in the recent hours as she attempted to learn the ever tricky Ninjutsu. It just wasn't working and she was exhausted.

With that depressing thought, she closed her eyes and attempted to take a well deserved nap. She didn't get far as she felt someone plop down beside her. "You're doing it all wrong." Tsukasa Izana's voice wasn't condescending, and if anything, it was rather empty.

Shion quickly sat up, her legs shaking when she realized she had no energy. "I wasn't being lazy! I was practicing for three hours straight."

Tsukasa didn't even sit up, with her arm resting over her eye and a single leg propped up in a triangle. Shion's sensei wasn't much older than her, but seemed to have risen so far so fast that Shion felt ashamed for not being able to catch up. "I know."

Tsukasa's response made the girl frown, not having expected its abrupt tone that sounded rather condescending. "I can do it. I don't need any help!"

"You know," Tsukasa finally glanced up, removing her arm from her gaze. "I was awful at Ninjutsu."

"I wouldn't say I'm awful..." Shion muttered, slightly flinching under the weight of Tsukasa's glare.

"It's okay to not be good at everything. You don't have to be and nobody expects you to," Tsukasa told her, and this caused Shion's fists to clench.

"No offense, sensei, but I have to be," Shion retorted, brushing off that touch of annoyance with a smile. "I can do this. I know I can."

"Nobody is gonna send you back to the academy if that's what you're worried about." Tsukasa jumped up and did a quick one handed Jutsu, spilling fire from her lips in so big a blast that it didn't stop until it reached the other side of the clearing. She turned back towards Shion. "Shoulders straight, breathe, adjust your fingers. You will have to work harder than the rest with the hand motions because you're so small. Most importantly, Chakra will flow where you tell it to. It's a living organism. Treat it as such. Feel for it and urge it where you want to go and the rest will come into place."

Shion tried, but Ninjutsu was different than Genjutsu, at least for her. Genjutsu came as easily as breathing, as if she were meant to do it. Ninjutsu was like asking for a brick wall to move. She ran out of Chakra too quickly.

"I can control my Chakra just fine," Shion said instead, not saying all the thoughts that flooded her mind like a broken dam. She didn't want to appear as weak as she felt.

"Yes, you can, so what's the problem?" Tsukasa said, raising her brow. "According to Itachi, you were able to do your Ninjutsu technique fine enough under the pressure of battle. Why not now, Shion?"

That question flooded Shion's mind over and over again, because she didn't know the answer. This was rare for her since she prided herself in knowing everything.

"Sometimes, a persons weakness is external failures or inexperience or laziness," Tsukasa turned her body towards Shion with a hand on her hip. "None of those can describe you. You've been training since you could walk, you practice every day, and the settings for you to succeed are optimal. What's the problem?"

Shion got the impression that Tsukasa already knew, but wanted her to figure out the answer for herself. With that lasting thought, Tsukasa looked ready to leave.

"Figure out what you want and take it. It's easy enough. You're strong, so what's holding you back?" Tsukasa asked, causing Shion to wince. In moments, Tsukasa's body disappeared in a barrage of leaves.

Shion stared out into the distance of the water, her eyes slightly narrowed. Slowly, she raised her hands to her chest. She knew the symbols, she knew the way Chakra was supposed to move. She even knew the process of the Jutsu. She didn't know why that wasn't enough. She didn't know why she wasn't enough.

Her muscles were screaming for a break, and she knew she couldn't ignore it any longer. She turned on her heel and headed back towards the village with a sigh. Her lips were set in a deep frown, feeling like a failure to the point of self-doubt. She barely even remembered her steps and before she knew it she was slumped against her blankets, her arms flat and sprawled out beside her. She watched her ceiling fan move in circles for enough time that she could count the individual blades.

She only looked up when she felt a pillow slam into her nose, breaking her cascade into self pity. She shot up, glancing towards her offender and saw it was Naruto, in his bright orange jump suit and goggles to match. "What the fuck?"

"I did it!" Naruto's voice was much too excited, and she began to notice that his breath came out wavered. His knuckles were raw and red and his clothes were scuffed.

"Did what?" Shion asked, tilting her head to the side and feeing out of place.

"I practiced all day. Watch." He knelt forward, getting on his knees to show her his open and flat palms. Shion watched, her head inclined towards his every action.

Slowly, just as she taught him, he formed the small bit of Chakra into his palm. She always had a keen sense of sensing Chakra, so she saw the way it swirled with something untapped and powerful. Slowly, he grabbed the shuriken he had obviously been practicing with and placed it onto his raised palm. It stuck firmly to his skin and she felt her lips curl into a proud smile.

"See, see, see!" Naruto's happy voice was what broke her from her fascination with his every action.

"I'm looking," she assured him, touching the shuriken and seeing that it did not budge. Slowly he let it fall to the ground. "I'm so proud of you." She quickly pulled him into a happy hug. "Just wait till you see what's next on the lesson plan!"

Perhaps that's what she needed. Teaching someone else helps get her out of her own head, and sometimes she needed that. Perhaps that was why teachers became teachers.

"Can we do it tomorrow?" Naruto's face suddenly looked torn and her brows furrowed, despite the fact that she was also tired.

"Why? That was just the warm up. There's so much to learn."

"I want to, but..." Naruto's happy gaze had melted like snow, leaving behind something that tugged at Shion's heartstrings. "Can we not go to the usual spot?" Shion's smile disappeared entirely.

"How many are there?" Her question was met with silence. Shion shook off her own exhaustion and stood up. "I'll kick their asses so hard they won't be able to use them again."

"No! You can't beat up everyone," Naruto exclaimed, standing up and giving her a glare of his own.

"Sure I can. That's the easy part," she told him, tilting her hair to the side until she could see strands of hair fall near her face.

"I don't want you to, dattebayo," he exclaimed. "I have to do this myself."

She was torn, because on one hand, she was perfectly okay with demolishing them but on another she didn't want Naruto to cry. Instead she pouted. "Can I show you something, Naruto?"

He looked confused at the change of subject, but he was grateful that she seemingly dropped the previous line of violence that would likely embarrass him. Slowly, he nodded his head and she held out her hand. He stared at it for a moment, but took it anyway and she dragged him out of the apartment.

She chatted a bit about different things she was going to to teach him, weaving through different crowds outside. He still didn't know where they were going by the time they paused a park. There weren't many people there, but one caught Shion's eye. This caused her stop and clench Naruto's hand and the boy, in turn, winced.

"See that woman over there?" Shion said, pointing straight ahead to the black haired woman who pushed the small, black haired boy, on the swing set. Naruto nodded, not understanding the line of question. "That's my mom."

Naruto froze, glancing over to Shion who was standing stone faced. The girl didn't move, but she also still held onto his hand. He tugged it, as if to remind her that he was still there.

"The boy she's pushing, that's my half brother."

Naruto's brows furrowed. "Why don't you live with them?"

"She didn't want me."

This was something that Naruto didn't understand. "B-but she had another kid, dattebayo!" His nervous habit of adding his word at the end of his sentences came out far more forceful.

"Yes. Yes she did," Shion agreed. "Those boys were telling the truth. She didn't _want_ me and here she is, with my replacement."

Naruto's hands balled into fists, and he motioned to move forward and scream at the woman. Shion, however, stopped him from moving by grabbing him by the scruff of his collar.

"Don't stop me, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted, drawing the attention of a couple parents who shot him dirty looks, attempting to hide their children as if he were a monster.

"Naruto, I don't need you to fight my battles," she told him, and he looked even more angry.

"I can't just do nothing," he retorted and she slightly smiled.

"And I can't just do nothing when kids are bullying you," she said, and he paused, surprised that she cornered him. "Hypocritical, isn't it?" She smiled at him, and couldn't help but notice he had grown half an inch. She wondered how much longer she could remain taller than him. "You're my friend, Naruto. I want to do anything in my power to protect you and as you can see, it's the same the other way around. The difference is, it doesn't matter what you say to her, nothing will change. I, however, can beat those punks within an inch of their life."

"Did you do all this just to get me to let you beat them up?" Naruto asked in a deadpan. "Why didn't you just say all that?"

"They are halting our progress on you becoming Hokage. The faster you get stronger the faster you will be able to kick their face back into their butts. Are you with me, Naruto?"

She held out her hand, but he was hesitant to take it. "Wait, was that even your mother or did you make all that up?"

Shion blinked, slightly smiling. "You caught me. That's just some random chick swinging a little boy."

"I didn't believe your sob story for a second!" Naruto exclaimed, causing Shion to ruffle his hair.

"I can't get anything past you, can I?" Shion laughed, walking next to him and grabbing his arm. She didn't spare another glance back towards her mother and brother.


	15. Crocodile's Cave

CROCODILE'S CAVE  
Chapter Fourteen

**SHION FELT PRESSURED TO MAKE A DECISION.** Each choice meant so much, and yet she was stuck in the profound cycle of being indecisive. She was given a choice, and now, she knew that she had to make it, even if her choice could mean that her friends may suffer.

"For the love of fuck, choose your meat," Hikaru said as Shion stared at the choices of BBQ where the students had the choice of three meats per table.

"Don't rush her," Misaki told him, watching as Shion ignored the both of them while their server played with her pen. "She'll only take longer."

"I'll get the brisket," Shion finally decided, handing the menu over. "Sensei, aren't you gonna order anything?"

"I'm a vegan," Tsukasa told her with a bored shrug as Hikaru made a point to sit next to her.

"Oh? What's that? Some kind of religion?" Shion asked, having never heard the word before.

"Yeah," Tsukasa said dryly. "We meet every Thursday to discuss how dumb you are."

"You tell her Tsukasa," Hikaru agreed, and the older woman's eye darted to him and he froze. "I mean sensei!"

"Hikaru," Tsukasa rested her chin onto her palm. "I'm going to tell right now that even if I weren't your sensei, I would never date you."

Shion let out a surprised whistle, that made Hikaru turn the full force of his glare on her. "Shut up, Shion."

"It's not my fault that you get rejected all the time," Shion said, resting her chin in her palm while she kicked her legs back and forth. His face reddened, but the humiliation was just a matter of time with how often he took to hitting on their senses.

"That's a lot of shit talk for somebody not old enough to get into the weapons shops without a letter of recommendation from Tsukasa-sensei." Shion's smile thinned at his pointed comment, and Hikaru knew that he wasn't going to enjoy his victory for long since Shion was a surprisingly vindictive thing in the pink haired body of a little girl.

Shion glanced out the window, her eyes slightly narrowed as she continued to promptly ignore Hikaru's entire existence. This was the usual for her, especially since he was immensely annoying when she pulled pranks on him and his only insults for her were pointed comments about her age. Sure, she may have took all the mission money last week, but she also gave it all back the following week when she earned it back.

"Shion," Misaki said, interrupting her thoughts only for Shion to realize that everyone was starring at her. "Did you complete your assigned Jutsu?"

Shion's eyes darted up in thought, her mind going back to only an hour ago where she nearly blew herself up and exclaimed a wild 'fuck this' and stormed off to eat some _dank_ BBQ.

"I'm almost there," Shion assures them, hiding a strand of pink hair that was in fact burned.

"We're not worried about you finishing," Misaki said with a roll of her eyes and a touch of obvious bitterness. Shion found this uncalled for, especially since Misaki was the one who asked. "You always succeed with everything you do."

"Not at all annoying," Hikaru muttered. "Meanwhile, I can't even get a single skirt to lift up with my skill."

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Misaki's exclaim and wrinkled nose was met with Hikaru's raised hands of defense.

"Nothing!" Hikaru quickly defended, as if he momentarily forgot to whom he was bragging. He spared an embarrassed glance towards Tsukasa. Their sensei, however, genuinely looked checked out of the conversation since the moment she so effortlessly rejected Hikaru.

Shion could see how her teammate had a crush on the girl. She had a rather pretty face, complete with a button nose and even the one remaining eye that she did have was remarkably silver. It was like looking at stainless steel. She didn't look like the type to wear makeup, but she actually wore quite a lot of it to the point of which Shion found no use.

Still, even past all the superficial appeals of Tsukasa, she was also surprisingly impressive. After doing some research on the library, Shion saw how extensive the tests were just to get to the position that Tsukasa currently occupied. Apparently, it wasn't just skill sets. You had to be a Jounin for at least a year, go on a certain number of qualifying missions, and have at least five Jounin recommendations to vouch for you just to have your application even viewed. From there, you had to pass nearly 20 psychological exams, an endurance test, and have an S class in your field of study (Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Kinjutsu, Fūinjutsu).

Even with all that, to be a teacher still wasn't a guarantee and it has to be directly approved by the Hokage himself before one of the few teams that passed the exam went on to train under the teacher in question. That being said, Shion was actually grateful to be taught by someone so qualified. Also the fact that she was so young was relatable to Shion who had graduated early, despite Iruka's many attempts to hold her back.

"I actually made some good progress with my Jutsu," Misaki said, her hand raising and Chakra gathered at her fingertips. She brought it down through her paper napkin that she held up with her other hand. It split in half without her fingers directly touching it. Misaki looked proud, but Shion saw that while the concentration of Chakra was impressively gathered into a tip, it was still weak.

"Can you only cut through paper?" Shion asked, causing Misaki's cheeks to redden.

"It's a starting place," Misaki defended.

"Then," Shion said, her lips curling up into a grin as she held up her hand. Having seen Misaki's method, she found it easy enough to copy. She brought her hand down to her clay tea cup and split it in half. "I'm already at the finish line. Easy."

Misaki looked ready to strangle the girl. Literally, prepared to leap over the table and strangle her. Meanwhile, Tsukasa scoffed, likely wondering why she suggested they spend time as a team. Still, Misaki's arm was healing with frequent visits to the medical staff, so it wouldn't be much longer till they could go on an actual mission again.

"Any idiot can replicate that process, albeit not as fast as you, Shion," Tsukasa said with a raised brow. Her bright orange curls bouncing over her shoulders when she leaned back in her chair. "That's not the point of what makes Misaki's training. Pure concentrated Chakra uses up too much of your Chakra reserves. Shion, even you could only keep that up for a couple minutes at most and that's me being generous. Misaki at the very least knows how to use her Chakra efficiently whereas you bulldoze all of it in one go."

"I guess," Shion agreed, already feeling like she was being scolded.

"Misaki knows what her body can handle, thus, she knows how to use her assets in the smartest way possible. Despite how weak the power level will be, if used effectively, she could even be on equal footing with you. Misaki," Tsukasa got her student's attention with a single glance. Tsukasa pointed to specific parts of her body.

In turn, Misaki followed through with naming them. _Trachea, kidney, liver, vital blood vessels, arteries._ Misaki knew them all without another thought.

"Yes, her Jutsu may only be a fraction of yours, and it may only be able to cut paper, but flesh is flimsy." Tsukasa let out a bored yawn. "She knows what organelles to go for, what blood vessels to pop, excetera, excetera."

"I don't want to pop blood vessels," Misaki muttered.

"Shush," Hikaru said, bumping her side. "Sensei is complimenting you and putting down Shion. I've dreamed of this day."

"Weirdly specific dream," Misaki replies.

"Shion, there's nothing wrong with your ambition. It's a good motivator and it has driven you this far," Tsukasa said. "But you can't be better at everything or better than everyone. It is unrealistic and a waste of your time. More importantly, it's a waste of my time."

"I get what you're saying, sensei," Shion said, and maybe this time she actually did. "But if you know me at all, you already know that I am not going to listen to that. I am going to be the best that I can be, and if that means that I am better than others so be it. That's just who I am."

"Everything you just said makes me wanna punch you in the face," Misaki said, her eyes narrowed as she stared her teammate down. "You just watch! I won't lose to you." Misaki stood up, the silverware clinging as she did. "Thats my goal. I will best you."

"And I will lift up a skirt!" Hikaru exclaimed, standing up beside Misaki. This caused the three girls to send him a deadpan stare.

"What is wrong with you?" Misaki asked.

"Puberty! Leave me alone." Hikaru sat back down.

"Anyway," Tsukasa said, promptly ignoring everything. She stood up, looking ready to leave. "I'm out."

"But you promised to pay," Misaki said, her eyes wide as saucers. "I ordered the ribs."

Tsukasa's lips thinned and at that moment the waitresses hands her the bill with a smile. "You will pay for cup too, yes?" The waitresses's accent was immensely thick, but Tsukasa caught it as she lifted the bill and saw the price increase due to the cup, sending Shion a look of reproach.

"All in the name of training, sensei," Shion said with a grin. Tsukasa took a deep breath, paying for the meal and sitting back down in her chair rubbing her temples.

"I should have stayed in standard forces with Itachi," Tsukasa muttered, and Misaki perked up at her crush's name.

"That reminds me, is he still single?" Misaki asked. "I'm asking for a friend."

"We're your only friends and unless Shion is suddenly interested in boys, you're full of shit," Hikaru commented with laugh, taking a sip of his tea only for Misaki to knock it out of his hand and for it to shatter on the ground.

"Gross." Shion's nose wrinkled in disgust.

"My point exactly," Hikaru said.

The waitress dropped another bill in Tsukasa's lap for the second shattered cup.

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Shion demonstrated the Jutsu again, and Naruto looked genuinely frustrated at his mistake. She was surprisingly patient with his inexperience as she stood adjacent to him. Her hair was styled into a messy bun, keeping it out of her face as she walked him through the steps yet again.

"Monkey, tiger, bear," she said, her fingers moving into the correct positions as she spoke. She repeated it. "Just like that. Again." She repeated it and he clumsily attempted to replicate her. "Again."

"Why can't I do this?" Naruto said after the next couple attempts and she paused.

"Naruto, everything requires practice. I spent hours a day going through hand-signs. No one wakes up one day and knows them. It's okay to need extra practice because the end result is the same. Again."

Shion was surprisingly good at comforting him and before long, he mirrored her perfectly. Her lips spread into a wide grin.

"Good! Naruto that was flawless!" It wasn't, but she knew it soon would be. "Now, when I show you this Jutsu, and you inevitably master it, I want you to use it smartly. Make me proud with your pranks."

"Of course, dattebayo!"

"No seriously though, if you do this wrong, don't worry too much. It's called Henge no Jutsu."

"Henge no Jutsu?"

"Yeah. It lets you assume the form of anyone with a bit of illusionary ability. It's a Genjutsu and I'm a pro at this technique." In fact, for some reason, Genjutsu abilities always came easily to her, but she never enjoyed the fact that they weren't flashy like Ninjutsu or straightforward like Taijutsu, so she never really pursued it. Perhaps that was her mistake.

"How does that work?" Naruto asked, and she nodded her head.

"Basically, it requires a keen memory. It's easier if the person you are copying is directly in front of you, but it's possible either way with enough practice." Shion did the hand symbols, and in moments she took the appearance of Naruto. "Take notice to the way I even got your whisker marks the exact distance from one another and from your nose."

"Wow. So I have to get every last detail," Naruto said, looking very self conscious of that fact.

Shion glanced down at her hands, now smaller than her original. She was slightly shorter too, but only slightly since Naruto was growing like a weed. "Like I said, it's not hard so long as you are looking at them directly, dattebayo."

Naruto pouted. "Is that really what I sound like?"

Shion smiled. "Okay. Now I left one thing not the same. Spot it."

"Why?" Naruto asked, taking a long look at the clone of himself. It was weird to look at, unsettling even, but he still looked.

"Because, this is the easiest way for you to notice the discrepancies that clones can have. It may be a D ranked Jutsu, but it's human to make some mistakes. Even Chuunin can screw up on this. What's different?"

"I don't know."

"Really look. Look at the face. The clothes. Don't just glance. Really look. Spot the difference."

It was easier said than done, but still, he looked for about ten minutes while Shion got bored and began to sketch in her notebook that rested in her brown satchel. It was a lot better than anything Naruto could ever draw, but he doubted that was the difference.

"It's okay if you can't see it. Your observational skills will get better." Shion reaches her left hand into her satchel again and pulled out a compact mirror. She tossed it to him. "For now, a bit help won't hurt."

"But-"

"Everyone learns differently. It doesn't make you weak." Shion's voice wasn't judgmental, and perhaps that was why it was easier for him to not get offended or defensive. "Find it."

He went back and forth, glancing in between it and Shion without much thought. Meanwhile, she continued sketching without a care. It was a simple drawing of the back drop of trees, carefully drawing a small bunny in between the bushes, adding a bit of wild life. Ironically, in between glancing at her paper and the setting, that bunny did actually skitter from the bushes with a white bushy tail that matched her illustration.

"I don't see any difference," Naruto whined, already very tired of the training that he obviously wasn't any good at, but this didn't bring any sympathy from Shion. The girl merely glanced up, but her disappointment wasn't very painful while she wore Naruto's face.

"What hand do you write with?" Shion asked, and he made a writing motion with both hands. Shion's lips thinned, but she didn't mock his motions.

"Right hand," he answered, and she continued sketching the portrait with her left. "Wait! That's the difference?"

"The difference isn't always going to be physical," Shion said with a casual shrug. "Ninjas are sneaky Naruto, but they are usually perfectionists. It's vital that you begin to learn to see things in a different way than you're used to, and only then can you be ready to learn."

Shion turned back into herself, placing her sketchbook on her lap while Naruto continued to frown. "You said it was going to be physical."

"I did not. I merely lead you into that mindset." Shion pressed her hands together. "Again."

It took him another two hours, but finally, right when she began to lose her patience, he got it.

"My hair line begins higher than you made it, dattebayo!" Naruto's exclamation made a wide grin spread over Shion's lips and she turned back into herself, throwing Naruto into a hug.

"See! I knew you could do it!" Shion exclaimed, oblivious to Naruto being awkwardly still in her arms. "You're going to be an amazing ninja one day, Naruto!"

Shion let him go, her pink hair scattered in different directions as she sat back down. She made a motion with her pointer finger for him to do the same. He followed her motion awkwardly.

"Now, I think you understand the process. I'm going to show you how to do the Jutsu."

He followed her motions, her directions, albeit slowly and uncoordinated, but she respected how he at least tried. His ending result, however, made her lips thin. She just never thought he could be so bad at it. Especially considering she felt it was one of the easiest Jutsu to execute. Realistically, she wasn't sure she was made out to be a teacher at all.

"That's very good for a first attempt," she lied, and she signaled him to drop the transformation since she couldn't stand looking at herself with that face. It was as if her face had been mixed with a frog.

"It was?" Naruto looked positively elated, and she slowly nodded her head.

"Yes, however this time, do it again, but when you are signaling your Chakra coils, I want you to feel them out. Really feel them, Naruto. If you press too hard, you will never be able to gain a proper dosage of control."

"Coils?"

_Oh sweet baby god,_ Shion thought with a frown of defeat.

"Naruto, do you know what Chakra is?" Shion had just naturally assumed that he must have known, and since she studied so much, she had assumed he had as well.

"No. People keep on saying that word, but no one has said what it means," Naruto admitted sheepishly and Shion's eyes briefly went to the corner in thought before she realized that she might have bitten off far more than she could chew.

"Okay. Alright then," Shion's voice was a lot kinder than she felt as she went through possible ways she could back out of training him. However, they lived together now so all methods felt too forced and she felt a moment of guilt at her lack of consideration to how he could feel if she just gave up on him as she so desperately wanted.

_I'm just so busy lately,_ Shion thought, but tossed it out since she felt such a thing would be cheap. She would have to teach Naruto the very basics and a part of her hoped that he only pretended to be so determined, and that perhaps he might give up entirely.

"Okay, Chakra is a force of energy inside your blood. Everybody and everything in this world has it. The coils are theorized to be these microscopic veins, flowing at the same pace as your blood vessels." Shion ran her fingers down her neck. "There are billions of them and they are where your energy comes from."

Naruto nodded silently, but Shion couldn't help but think that the information would not stick. "I don't feel my Chakra though." Shion suspected as much. She felt her own the moment she could breathe. However, she understood that not everyone could.

"That's okay. I am going to help you feel it," Shion reached out for his hand and he placed his hands in hers. "This is going to feel weird. What I'm going to do is inject my Chakra into your coils. Your own Chakra will fight that and knock me out of them. Once it does, it will translate mine into your own. When it does that, you are going to feel it. Are you ready?"

Naruto nodded numbly and she took a deep breath, test running a bit of her Chakra into the coils of his hands. She expected immediate resistance, but instead she got a hallow silence that rang in her veins. She continued, her Chakra now flowing freely down his Chakra coils down his arms. She followed along, like a it was a tunnel that never ended.

Through it all, Naruto didn't move but she could tell that he was getting impatient and so was she.

"I don't feel anything. Is that normal?" Naruto asked.

"Yes." _It wasn't._

By now, she was already nearly his heart, and finally she felt something. A ball of power that nicked at her own. She opened her eyes to tell him that she felt it, to ask if he could feel it, when the attack nearly devoured her because she had not be expecting it. She tried to pull her hands away, to leave her residue of energy in his coils to neutralize; but it was as if her hands were stuck to his.

The burning began to spread over her body and when she opened her eyes, as if to tell him to get off of her, she was no longer on the grass on a cool summer day. Instead, her feet were submerged in a liquid and in front of her was a frightfully tall cage.

She began to wonder if she had passed out and this was a dream when she saw a harrowing pair of bright red eyes in the darkness of the bars. She fell back, too scared to even scream. She tried to crawl away but her legs were stuck and her body wouldn't move.

"How interesting," the voice resonated and echoed as if it came from every direction and continued, harrowing and in her face. "Will you introduce yourself or just stare all day until the sun finally rises?"

Shion tried to fill for her voice but her mind was blank. "It's already day time."

"How fascinating," the voice drawled, and the strange curiosity that whatever this beast was began to weigh on Shion's every apparent sense of wonder.

"What are you?" Shion's voice came out shaking, especially when she felt the water around her had begun to heat up until it was boiling. She stood up, having no choice, but the heat around her ankles made it piercingly hard to stand.

"The bigger question," the voice's mad drawl made Shion want to jump out of her skin. "Is why your Chakra is so exceptionally disgusting? When I pulled you here, I was half expecting to see a corpse."

"Disgusting?"

Shion hadn't been been aware that a Chakra type could be disgusting. However, she was all too aware that this voice held a Chakra that was terrifying and she was having a hard time breathing.

"Something only a demon could sense. Your Chakra smells rotting."

Shion had thought her fear was already to the max, but when she saw its face, her heart stopped in her chest and she let out a harrowing scream at the giant creature before her. It had great big teeth and even more disgusting claws with a jaw that could bite through flesh.

Of course, it was also what haunted her nightmares when she was much younger.

"Kyuubi..." Shion's voice is was a hallow whisper and she knelt to the ground, hiding her head into her knees and whimpering. "Wake up. Wake up. Wake up."

All she heard was horrible laughter and then a harsh silence.

When she felt a gust of wind on her face she opened her eyes, staring at Naruto's worried blue irises and flinching. She let his palms go as if she had been poisoned, crawling back and away from him.

"Shion?" Naruto reached out to her but she flinched again.

"Don't touch me!" Shion hadn't meant to shout, she hadn't meant for any of her reactions, but it was too late to take it back. She found herself watching how his eyes widened in a hurt that might have once made her feel guilt. However, when you're scared, it's hard to feel much of anything else.

She stood up, still feeling that dangerous Chakra, only now, she felt it in Naruto. She knew it was there, but didn't know how. All she knew for certain was that she couldn't look at him, she couldn't touch him, and she couldn't talk to him.

"Shion," Naruto tried again, now standing up and feeling his heart burst as she looked away from him. However, when she did meet his eyes, he wished she hadn't as her face read everything he felt from people his whole life.

Naruto wasn't ready to see it from yet another person and he already felt his eyes burn because he didn't understand what it was but he did know it hurt. He thought back to that woman, so many years ago, to her comment on what was inside him. He hadn't believed her, but now he began to feel it had to be true because Shion saw something.

_The Nine Tailed Fox,_ Shion thought, attempting to steer her mind away from it. "I can't be here." She turned on her heel and ran.

This left Naruto alone, just as he was before Shion came into his life and he began to wonder if he was better off if he never met her at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Naruto. He just can't catch a break.
> 
> Shion didn't take well to the nine Tailed Fox's appearance, but she is a kid, not even a teenager yet so you can't expect her to react maturely to everything.
> 
> I reference Anomie from Chasing Smoke in the last couple paragraphs, you don't gotta read the series, I'll just tell you the basics. Anomie told him that the Nine Tailed Fox was inside him, then, using the Five Elements Seal, blocked access to the chakra of the Nine Tales by disturbing the balance of the original seal. The odd number seal that she used disturbed the even number seal used to originally bind the jinchūriki.(it's the same Jutsu Orochimaru had done to him at the Chuunin Exams) it was as per Orochimaru's request to see if he had the formula right to hinder the Akatsuki's pursuit of the tailed beasts. That is why Naruto's Chakra isn't behaving right. He can't ever control his own Chakra until someone removes the seal due to there being an imbalance in his power. Think of a scale, one side is pressed far down, meaning the other side can't move at all either. It's the same shit.
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter!


	16. Lets Fly Home

LETS FLY HOME  
Chapter Fifteen

**SHION FELT LIKE A DICK.** A serious and royal one, but every time she saw Naruto from the distance of when she went to apologize, her heart would clench as if the fox himself had gripped it in her chest. If she couldn't get any practice words out, how could she hope to speak to him face to face?

He was a demon. Shion didn't know how, but that was what he was and she knew it in her gut. She wondered how she could have allowed herself to be fooled into thinking that _he was just a fool._

"Kurama Shion," a voice sounded from behind her, causing her lips to curl down into a sorrowful frown.

She raised her face, wondering how she could be so unlucky that her hiding spot was found now of all times. She glanced down her tree only to nearly fall off of it when she caught the eye of the Third Hokage himself, standing below with a pipe in between his lips.

"Sandaime." She kicked her legs, flipping back and landing against the ground in a bow since she had some semblance of manners and she hadn't exactly met the Hokage before in her lifetime. She had defaced his building, his statue, and his village, but pranking the Third himself was not a challenge she felt quite ready to approach.

"You have grown," the Hokage said with a soft smile that she didn't quite trust since she hadn't exactly been a saint around the village. After all, she regularly terrorized Iruka, vandalized the statues, and stole from her own orphanage.

"Have we met?" Shion asked instead, not wanting to come across as rude but she did want to know.

"I knew your father. Such a dedicated man," the Third said, his lips curling. Shion wished her mother was as dedicated as people said her dad had been. "You look just like him."

That was what her mother said the day she gave her up. _"I can't look at you. You have his face."_ Yoko had said this whilst sobbing, but Shion long since cried her last.

"I don't see how that is relevant," Shion said, after all, the Third never cared about her before. Only recently did he likely learn her name. "What is it?"

"My scouts inform me that you saw something that frightened you yesterday. I am curious man."

"Your...scouts?" Shion felt violated by the idea that someone was watching her.

The Third had the gall to look only slightly apologetic. "I was so pleased to hear that Naruto had finally made a friend, so pleased in fact, that I held off on the consequences to the theft of the orphanage and the fact that he ran away."

Shion did think it was strange that not a soul had come after her, but she had thought nothing of it at the time.

"I'm always worried for Naruto."

"He is a demon," Shion said immediately, her eyes narrowing because of course the Hokage knew what Naruto had inside. Why else would he be standing before her? The Third Hokage didn't care about her. He never came around when she became an unwanted child or when her mother tried to burn her face.

Of course, that was apparently nothing in comparison to her deciding that Naruto could not be her friend.

"He's a child. Just like you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, his giant hat nearly covering his entire head. Shion was barely listening, staring out over the KIA stone where her dad's name rested.

"It killed my father," Shion said, her head turning back towards the Hokage. "That thing. My dad was dedicated and I watched him go and help fight that beast of a _thing_. He was brave and he died."

"Naruto is the reason that beast is not still rampaging," Sarutobi said, and her eyes widened. "His father sealed the Kyuubi in Naruto to protect this village. It left Naruto without family and with villagers that would never know what he sacrificed to make them safe. To make _you_ safe."

"His father? That would make Naruto the son of the Fourth Hokage." Shion had thought they looked similar, but it wasn't something she ever suspected. This was because she had a hard time believing that the son of such a man was alone in an orphanage instead of with a family who loves him.

"Naruto Uzumaki sounded like a safer name to be known as than that of Naruto Namikaze," Sarutobi admitted, and finally the guilt began to settle in her bones. She hadn't known, she hadn't asked.

"I can't look at it—him." Shion had a hard time admitting this, because she had tried to approach him. She tried to apologize, to explain, to say and do anything but be a coward in the face of his bright blue eyes. "I understand that it is not Naruto's fault. It's yours."

Sarutobi's eyes only widened a fraction before settling in the face of her brilliantly judgmental gaze.

"It shouldn't be my job to make Naruto feel accepted. You are the one who made him alone. You are the one who made him feel abandoned. He should have known love for all the sacrifice you claim he has gone through. Why is it my job alone to overcome the idea that he has a monster inside him? Why is it me or he has nobody?" Shion never knew she had such an obvious personality flaw of non acceptance, but she was still growing, and it wasn't like she wanted to reject him. A part of her did still care about him, but it wasn't like she knew him that well.

"I am not what Naruto needs," Sarutobi said, and the silence that followed was deafening as Shion began to wonder if it was treasonous to admit she found the Third Hokage to be a piece of shit. She decided against wording her obvious disdain. She wasn't an idiot after all, but biting her normally sharp tongue required an obvious amount of effort as her palms squeezed into fists.

"Is he safe?" Shion asked, her eyes shut tightly as she attempted to stifle the torrent that clashed in her chest. She didn't want to fear him because deep down she must have known that it wasn't his fault, but his face was the reason for everything bad in her life. If it wasn't for the monster, she would have her father, her mother would be able to stand to look at her, and maybe she might have gotten to know her baby brother.

"He is safe, Shion. No different than the boy you first met. Maybe it's time you learn what that means," Sarutobi said, and he left her there.

Shion wanted to be brave, to find Naruto and apologize for being a complete ass, but she couldn't. She didn't really want to and before she knew it, she was back at that park where her mom had once swung her back and forth on the swing that she now took her new favorite child. It was empty, but Shion could still remember a time when she had laughed and fallen and her mom had laughed alongside her. She could still remember so many things about the woman who didn't want her. Shion collapsed to her knees, clutching the swing so tightly that the braided metal pinched her skin. She might have cried if it wasn't for the sound of a boy.

She had never seen him so close and he had her mother's eyes. It was the spitting image of her, right down to the dark black hair and hazel eyes and cheekbones so high that Shion might have wondered if he ate too little to fill them. He was beautiful and nothing like her. Shion stood up quickly, knowing that Yoko wouldn't be far behind her son.

"Miss," the boy said, his dimpled cheeks making her heart clench. "Have you seen my bear?"

Shion shook her head quickly, wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn't trust her voice, but his frown deepened. He was three years old. Shion knew that just from looking at him. It didn't take her mother long to create him after she cast Shion out. That thought didn't fill her with the anger she wanted. At the very least, anger would light an ember in her chest. Instead, she just felt cold.

"Are you okay miss?"

"I'm fine." Shion's voice cracked, and the observant boy could obviously tell.

"My mom said it's okay to cry. She said it doesn't make me a crybaby cause grownups cry all the time," the boy said, and she winced, feeling the tears begin to make her eyesight blurry. They still didn't fall. Shion hated crying and often managed to stop those tears from falling. She stopped them this time too.

_Your mom is a bitch._

"I'm okay." Shion couldn't look him in the eyes.

"I'm Haruko. Mom said I'm really good at cheering people up. Do you want to see something funny?"

_Haruko? She named him Haruko._ Shion wanted to burn the park. _First born child. Haruko._ And like that, Shion wondered if this was Yoko's way of erasing Shion's existence into nothing.

"I should go...Haruko."

Her bother looked crestfallen. "But don't you want to see?"

Shion did not. She didn't want to see this boy ever again. Still, he looked about ready to cry, so she turned her head back towards him with her brows furrowed as if she were in pain. "Fine."

Haruko grinned so big that it swept Shion away. "Watch! Watch!"

"I'm watching," Shion assured him, angry that his enthusiasm was actually rather adorable.

She was expecting a funny face or literally anything else, but instead a loud fart rang out that made Shion wince. It was obviously not intentional when Haruko's cheeks flooded with a bright blush that actually lit up his entire face. He covered his face with his palms.

"Was that the the trick?" Shion asked in a deadpan.

"I had a big breakfast," he muttered, still embarrassed. "I ate the last roll and now my butt is punishing me."

Shion's lips curled despite herself. This made the shame and disgust sizzle in her chest because despite his innocence, a part of her hated this boy. She would sometimes, late at night when her inhibitions where low, imagine pinching his head until it popped. Shion didn't believe herself to be malicious, but when it came to her replacement, those feelings surged.

Still, he made her laugh until all she wanted to do was cry until she could cry no longer. 

She left her half brother not long after that, still conflicted about everything going on in her life. 

●▬▬▬Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ▬▬▬●

Shion knew she was a piece of shit the moment she spotted Naruto a distance away and henged into an old man so he wouldn't recognize her. That was when she heard Shikamaru let out a deep sigh from behind her. "You're pathetic."

"Shika-chan." This was a very weird thing to say due to the fact that she was henged into an old man. She decided to drag Shikamaru behind the next corner of buildings and henge back while Naruto continued eating ramen by himself. 

She threw her arms around him, despite his comment for her to, "get off. You are so annoying."

"You love me," Shion said, her eyes slanted with giddy happiness. "Where have you been?"

"Me?" Shikamaru raised his arms over his head as if he were imagining just resting on the ground and sleeping. "I hardly move from my spot."

Shion realized that in her busy schedule, she never even saw him anymore. She wiped away nonexistent tears. "Oh you poor boy. You've missed me haven't you? Don't worry. We will play hide and seek next time okay."

"What part of 'I hate that game', escapes your knowledge?" Shikamaru asked in irritation. Shion smiled again, patting the slight pocket of belly on his stomach.

"Trust me. Your metabolism won't keep up forever," she told him, steering him with her since she was on her way to meet her team. This was a convenient excuse to once again avoid any confrontation with her roommate.

"Can't you find someone else to torture?" Shikamaru sniffed, looking bothered by even walking. "Let me go. I promised my pain in the ass mother I'd get dinner."

Shion gasped, slapping him on the head. "The disrespect. Shikamaru, I am ashamed of you."

"Stop hitting me, woman," he said, and this time he was obviously too lazy to even yell at her. Regardless, Shion loved Shikamaru's mother. Yoshino Nara was Shion's hero since she once saw the mother smack Shikamaru so hard upside the head that he saw stars. Then she proceeded to apologize to Shion on Shikamaru's rudeness, and offer Shion another serving of rice. 

_It was amazing._

Still, despite it all, secretly, it also made Shion slightly glad that she didn't have a mother to boss her around or whoop her ass. 

"Anyway, not that I care or nothing, but why are you avoiding the orange color pest?" Shikamaru asked, and she froze.

"For the same reason everyone else is I guess." Shion was ashamed by her truthful answer. 

Shikamaru was silent from here, and he slowly yawned and separated from her hold. She allowed this, especially when his next words voiced all her insecurities. "I never took you as being like everyone else. What a drag."

He walked away and she didn't follow or yell at him. Instead, she went numb as she walked to the training grounds. It was as if her senses went black and she didn't see anyone. The grass crunching, the wind brushing against her cheeks, and her fists clenching all didn't reach her brain until after she reached the training grounds.

"Late again, Shion," Hikaru told her, and Shion glanced up, lost in her own mind.

"Sorry," she said without thinking. This surprised both Hikaru and Tsukasa, the latter of which too surprised for proper punishment. More so, they had more matters to discuss for it to really take precedence.

"I'm sure you have noticed Misaki is missing," Tsukasa began, and Shion blinked, having not noticed. "She tore a ligament. She is now in bedrest."

"It was your Jutsu training that did it," Hikaru reminded her with arms crossed. Tsukasa's eye narrowed, but uncharacteristically, she seemed too exhausted to actually give a shit.

"Yes. Well, I suppose perhaps I overestimated her healing. I was careless," Tsukasa admitted, but her eye ran to Shion who was also very quiet. 

"Yo, Shion, this is where you go all, 'worry not sensei, for I have mastered the Jutsu assigned' on us and make me contemplate hitting a girl." Hikaru's impression of his teammate was surprisingly good, and Tsukasa raised her brow. Shion tried to put all her thoughts behind her, to lock them in a box and just smile. She managed at least one of those things.

"Oh I have mastered it. Perhaps I should be the new leader of the squad," she said with a large grin. She inwardly groaned, wondering why she lied. "Anyway, you said you had a mission for us in your summons, right? We gonna just drag Misaki in her hospital bed?" Shion gasped. "Do we all get hospital beds? With wheels? Oh that would be cool."

Tsukasa closed her eye, likely missing Shion's previous silence. "Yes. No. No. And no."

Shion pouted, "Spoilsport."

"During her recovery, I have decided to accept a much needed C rank mission."

Shion perked up, feeling a moment of actual excitement. "With a squad member missing?"

"Itachi will be be coming along for this one. It will be fine," Tsukasa said, her lips curling.

"Wow." Hikaru whistled, his grin nearly infectious. "A C ranked mission and with Itachi? Are you punishing Misaki or something sensei, cause she's gonna be pissed!"

"Silver lining," Tsukasa agreed. 

"What's the mission?" Shion asked.

"Diplomatic in nature. To Suna." Tsukasa spotted Shion's excitement and began to wonder if taking them along was a good idea.

"Wait. Suna? I read that tensions were high between us. Are we preventing a battle or something?" Shion jumped up in excitement. 

Hikaru snorted. "If that were true, we would not bring you. You'd say one word and we'd be in the next Shinobi war."

Tsukasa now looked a tad bit worried. "Shion. My assignment for you during this mission is simple."

"What? Who do you want me to beat up? I'd do it. I'd cut a bitch sensei. Just tell me who," Shion said, her eyes now sparkling.

"Yes. I _know_ quite well. I don't want you speaking to anyone unless you have mine or Hikaru's permission to do so." Tsukasa's eye was grave, and this order caused a spike in irritation for Shion. This went triple when Hikaru grinned at the new power he had.

"What? That's bullshit sensei," Shion complained.

Hikaru dabbed his eyes, the tears looking quite real as he wiped them away with his shirt. "This is the happiest day of my life." He stared up at Tsukasa, his pupil-less eyes wide and reminded Shion that his nasty ass crush was still obvious and just as pathetic. "You're my hero."

Tsukasa rubbed her temples, and the two students could see it in her face that she was quite finished. "Okay. We're done here. I want you to pack up. Only the essentials. Remember the weather. Suna means sand. As in desert. Keep in mind this won't mean sandy beaches."

"Shame. I wanted to take up surfing," Shion commented with a sigh.

"Six a.m." Tsukasa said, sighing once more. "If you're late, we're leaving without you. Get all your shit together before the mission. I went clear heads. You are representing the village. This is a big deal, so don't blow it."

"Why the hell would you choose Shion as representation?" Hikaru commented, causing said girl to scowl at him. 

Tsukasa raised her brows, glancing between the two with a sigh. "Just get your shit together." And like that, Tsukasa disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Alright. I'm kicking your ass," Shion said, causing Hikaru to let out a squeal as she tackled him to the ground to make him kiss his own ass.

●▬▬▬Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ▬▬▬●

Did the thought of leaving without so much as a goodbye to Naruto cross her mind? Sure it did. Shion had gone through lists upon lists of reasons why she should talk to him: he's sweet, he makes her smile, he treated her like she mattered, he was always laughing, his ambitions were unrelenting, and the list went on. Still, the things against him still made her heart quake. 

_The Nine Tails killed my dad._

Of course, Shion logically knew this couldn't be Naruto's fault. _It's not his fault._ She saw him, sitting there on a swing. She nicknamed it 'sad boy swing' months back since it was his go to place to sulk. Shion wasn't certain she had ever seen him ever actually use it properly.

She opened her mouth to call out his name, but her voice cut off. _Speak Shion._

_"I never took you as being like everyone else."_

_"Get your shit together."_

Shion pressed her palm into her face, wondering if it were possible to just leave him there. Of course she could. It would be terrible. It would be mean, but she could do it.

"Naruto." _Oh gods, I spoke._ Shion's expression was likely more surprised than Naruto himself. That much was odd for the both of them. It was hard to get herself to walk forward, but she forced her legs to move. Her fingers trembled as she gripped the swing, but she was doing it. She got this far. She couldn't turn away now. 

"W-What do you want?" Naruto rubbed his eyes, as if he were deeply embarrassed. She felt a rush of pity filter into her heart. He was crying. _Do demons cry?_

"Do you want to know what I saw?" Shion knelt down, her fingers trailing down the twisted metal chain as if a part of her didn't want to meet his gaze full on. Her brows furrowed as she raised her other hand to his chest, not touching since he was shaking. His baby blue eyes were so trusting, she could see that now. She began to wonder if they had always been so innocent. Still, behind him, now she saw hue of red.

"N-No. I don't." Naruto lowered his head, his eyes running over the ground. 

_I'm hurting him_. Shion knew that, but she was hurting too. Adults should have put more effort into making him happy, but Shion had long since learned that adults in this world had done nothing but disappoint her. No, she was alone. Naruto was alone. Regardless, that didn't mean they couldn't have each other.

She could do this. She had to be brave. "Do you know what the Kyuubi is, Naruto?"

"It's why people hate me." Naruto finally met her gaze, and the accusation cut her deeply. "It's why you hate me now too."

"It was a demon. It was released not too long ago. I was almost four years old when it happened. It's weird what you remember when you're young." Shion still remembered the screaming, bits and pieces of red filling the sky, her father kissing her head, and then everything changed. Her dad died. Her mother took to drinking and screaming and crying. "It went on a rampage that day. My dad was assigned to help bring it to a halt. It decimated the Shinobi forces, killing hundreds in the process. There were few survivors and my dad was not among them."

Naruto's eyes were wide, filling fast with tears at Shion's confession. "So...that thing is..."

"Somehow, yes, it is sealed inside you." She touched his stomach, her entire body now trembling with the effort. Still, she was doing it. She was overcoming the fear that plagued her for weeks after it resurfaced. "Do you understand...why I couldn't bare it? Why others couldn't bare looking at you?"

"This isn't fair," he said, and her eyes widened when he began to cry. It wasn't pretty, especially since snot was dripping down his nose. "Why me? Why is it in me?"

Shion's eyes began to burn, already knowing she wasn't doing this right. None of that was what she meant to say. She realized she was still trying to hurt him, as if hurting Naruto would hurt the demon. She hadn't cried in so long that it was a wonder if she even knew how to cry anymore.

"You are not to blame!" Shion hadn't meant to shout this, but she had to make sure he knew that. She was terrible at talking. She was terrible at apologizing. Still, she knew that he deserved one. "I shouldn't have shut you out. I should have talked to you. I was scared. I didn't understand you. I shouldn't have shut you out." She was now covering her face, her breath staggering as she began to sniffle. It wasn't crying, but her nose was definitely starting to burn as if she were drowning.

Naruto was crying. "I don't want to be alone anymore, dattebayo."

"You deserve a better friend than me," Shion informed him, her eyes still burning, but dry. "I am a mess."

"What are you talking about, dattebayo?" Naruto had leaned back, his eyes wide.

"I suck. You should hate how I reacted. You should hate me. I would hate me," Shion finally said, her fingers now digging into the sand. 

There it was, both their words out in the open, both thinking that they hated the other. "You're my friend...I want to be friends." Naruto said this so earnestly that Shion's eyes widened further. 

"I-I want to be friends too. I was so afraid..." Shion shook her head, knowing she was never going to be good with words. Instead, she threw her arms around the boy who housed her childhood nightmare and hugged him. She hugged him tightly, as if it were the only thing she could ever do to make him realize how much she cared about him. 

He dug his head into her neck, wrapped his arms around her back, and he cried until her top turned wet. 

"Let's go home, Naruto," she whispered.


End file.
